All I Saw Was You
by oikosyogurt
Summary: Elsa and Anna are separated when Anna is involved in an accident and loses all of her memory. She is unknowingly stolen away from her life in Arendelle and is given a new name (Kristen) and a new identity. She rebuilds her life as a "neurosis nurse" and lands herself a job attending to the stunning mayor's daughter, Elsa. (Elsanna, Modern AU)
1. Prologue

"_Elsa, right now your mind is going through emotional and psychological trauma. It's in the denial stage of mourning a loss. The overwhelming shock is too much for your mind to handle, so it protects itself by blocking out every negative emotion and feeling. It's a temporary response that'll carry you through the first wave of pain."_

Her psychologist's voice rang through the back of her mind, but she couldn't concentrate on it. Everything was a haze, a fog. Everyone at the ceremony was dressed in black. Everyone was crying.

She stared at Anna's stepmother, who was weeping uncontrollably. Anna's father was staring out into a void, his face vacant as he let go of handfuls of ashes, and they drifted off into the air, landing peacefully into the waves and the shore.

Why wasn't she feeling anything? Why wasn't she crying? Elsa knew her world was shattered, and she knew she was more ruined and lost than she'd ever been in her life. But she couldn't wrap her head around it. Her mind wasn't letting her feel anything. She was numb.

She looked at the ashes blow and disappear into the wind.

_She's gone…_

* * *

**a/n**: Part 1 is character development, plot set-up, tension build-up, Kristanna, and some Elsanna fluff. There's actually a lot of thrill/action parts in it too. People that have read Part 1 have told me they really enjoyed it a lot, but I know there are those that cannot wait for Elsanna. If you want the core of the story, Elsanna, _right now _and cannot wait, then skip to Part 2. A summary of Part 1 will be provided there.

Also, the first couple chapters of the story has some POV ambiguity, but this doesn't happen again after the first few chapters. This story was not beta'd either, so bear with me!

Thanks, and I hope you enjoy.


	2. Part 1: The Wedding

**a/n:** In this alternate universe, the Mayor of Arendelle is considered to be royalty and equivalent to a "king" or "queen." Elsa's father was the Mayor, but he passed away so Elsa's mother took over as Mayor. Elsa is the next heir to the throne. Arendelle is considered a kind of capitol city of the continent, and makes powerful treaties and agreements with other surrounding countries and lands. But, it being only a city, Elsa does not have the wide recognition by the people that royal families have, such as the Royal Family in the UK right now. (This works to the story's advantage).

* * *

"I now pronounce you, husband and wife."

The organs loudly chimed in with the wedding song as the groom and bride kissed. The pair looked out into the crowd beaming.

From the crowd, Anna waved to her father, who he immediately waved back. She swelled with happiness to see him smiling like that, with a beautiful bride on his arm. She hadn't seen him this happy since her mother had died.

Anna looked over to the girl beside her and couldn't help but appreciate her presence. She linked her arm around Elsa's, who turned her head and said, "I haven't seen your father this happy for a long time." Anna nodded in agreement as they both admired the happy couple walk down the aisle.

Outside in the courtyard now, everyone was heading toward the reception area, hungry for some cake and the best gourmet food in Arendelle. Anna's father was an extremely successful businessman who had one of the biggest wine companies in the continent, so people were looking forward to the best kinds of foods money could buy. As they were walking, Anna saw a bathroom sign.

"Hey I'll go to the bathroom first and meet you in the ballroom alright? I'll just be a sec."

Elsa nodded. "I'll just wait out in the courtyard by the water fountain then. I'll meet you there?

"Sounds good. See you in a bit."

Anna gave a quick wave to Elsa and headed into the bathroom. She was immediately impressed by bathroom foyer, which was large and decorated with fancy Victorian furniture. She almost wanted to call Elsa in so they could escape all those people and spend the rest of the evening in here, quiet and alone, but she knew she had to make her appearance known for her father.

She plopped down onto the couch and set her feet on the table in front of it, deciding to enjoy the nice ambiance for a little bit. She was glad that her father was marrying again. He had suffered from a deep depression after her mother's death, until he met Sylvia. Sylvia seemed like a nice enough person, and it was quite obvious that she was a beautiful woman. She was a daytime soap opera star, although Anna had never heard much of her in the media before.

The painful thought of her mother's death from cancer filled her head once more. It had been two years, and although much of the pain was dulled, it was still there. She sighed as she looked up at the crown molding along the corners of the ceiling. Her head feeling heavy, she rested it against the back of the couch. Whenever the sadness of her mother's death overwhelmed her, she always thought of Elsa.

Elsa was her best friend. She was like her older sister she never had, but so much more than that. Elsa's father, the mayor of Arendelle had also died in a car accident three years back. Elsa was the only one who knew and understood Anna's pain of losing a parent. Anna could not have gotten through that difficult time without her.

Suddenly wanting to be by Elsa, she quickly sprung up from the couch, silently thanking it for its comfort. She finished her business and went to go find Elsa out in the courtyard.

* * *

As she sat waiting on the ledge of the water fountain, Elsa lightly traced her finger across the surface of the water, making invisible patterns. Everybody had already gone into the ballroom, so she was alone.

Hearing footsteps echoing towards her, she looked up to find a distant Anna making her way towards the water fountain. She couldn't help but notice how Anna was just glowing. She still had that recognizable bounce when she walked, but now there was a feminine energy about it, confident and bold. They'd been childhood friends for as long as she'd remembered, and even though Anna was just a sophomore in high school and she a senior, the difference made no matter. They'd been through so much together, and their relationship was something she would never let go of.

She was suddenly aware that she was staring at Anna as she was approaching her, and she quickly glanced back down at the water, pretending to be intrigued by the lily pads. Elsa didn't know what to make of these new and emerging feelings for Anna, especially with Anna finishing up puberty. It didn't seem too long ago that Anna was still bubbling around with her baby fat and braces. In the last few years though, Anna was becoming quite something. She had recently started to put more effort into her appearances, and was budding into one spectacular specimen. Elsa's face grew warm as she realized she might not be seeing Anna merely as close friend.

"That restroom is the fanciest restroom I've ever seen. It's got like a sofa inside of it so you can literally rest in the restroom." Anna chuckled at her own little pun as she sat on the water fountain ledge besides Elsa.

Still a little embarrassed by her thoughts, Elsa silently continued to examine the lily pads. Receiving no answer, Anna followed her gaze to see what was so captivating, when she noticed a little frog on one of the lily pads. "Oh my God a frog! Lookie! On the lily pad!" She was delighted at it and quickly went around the fountain to get closer to it.

Startled, Elsa stood up and took a few steps back, putting her hands up in to protect herself. "Anna don't touch it! It might be dirty, or poisonous, or…no just don't! Ew!" She was always annoyed at how Anna would grab at any living animal or thing to play with it.

"Look how tiny it is, it couldn't hurt a fly, although looking at how pudgy it is it looks like it might've eaten one not too long ago." Anna slowly brought up her hands to trap it as she inched her body closer to the fountain.

"Oh god Anna please I am not going to touch you if you touch that thing!" Elsa stood tense and helpless as she watched Anna freeze for a second, then lunge her hands towards the small amphibian, skillfully entrapping it into her cupped hands. "AHA! I caught it! Oh my god Elsa I caught the thing! What do I do now?!" She reached her cupped hands towards Elsa, who screamed but having no place to run but within the courtyard, ran towards a nearby bench. "Anna I swear if you touch me I'm going to kill you!"

Anna hysterically cackled as she chased Elsa in a circle around the courtyard with her cupped hands outstretched in front of her. "Elsa just look at it! It's so small!"

"ANNA! I swear I'm going to-"

"I'll stop if you just look at it. I'll put it back and we can go eat. Just take a look at it! You'll find it really cute I promise!" Elsa, who was now out of breath stopped on a grass patch and turned around and put her hands in front of her once more. "Alright I'll just take a peek at it, but you have to keep your hands around it and don't let it touch me! If it touches me I swear-"

"Alright alright I won't let it touch you. I just want you to see how cute it is. It's so small it's literally the size of a quarter." Anna caught up to Elsa and brought her cupped hands between them. They looked down as she slightly opened them, but they saw nothing.

"Where'd it go?" Anna asked as she opened her hands a little more. "Did I drop it?"

Elsa grew wary. "Anna I swear if it...AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The frog, seeing its chance to escape, flew out from under Anna's thumb and onto Elsa's face, where it bounced off and landed on her arm. Elsa screamed as she flailed her arms, shaking every part of her body and scrambling across the courtyard to get away from it.

Anna burst out laughing. Her laughing convulsions made her fall onto the grass, and she laid on her side gripping her stomach. When her roaring became a mild snickering, she was taken by surprise as she suddenly found Elsa on top of her, straddling her to the ground and her arms pinned down by Elsa's strong thighs. "Anna you little twerp I'm going to get you for that!" Elsa started to tickle Anna's sides, which was Anna's ultimate weakness. She started to squirm under Elsa and couldn't catch her breath, her sides already in pain from the previous bouts of laughter.

"NO HAHA…..please! Els…! HA Stop! I'm sor….HAHAHA…ohmyg….ACK! _*COUGH COUGH*_ OH GOD HAHAHAHA"

"That's right! Suffer! I can't believe you let that frog touch me! You little…haha!" Elsa laughed in delight as she continued to tickle her sides until Anna got her arms free from under Elsa, which she used to start swatting Elsa's hands away. After both laughing and swatting at each other for a few moments, Elsa was the victor as she pinned Anna's arms down by her head.

Both out of breath and glistening with sweat, they didn't have the energy to say much at this point. With nothing but the sound of their labored breathing, the smiles off their faces slowly vanished and were replaced with more serious, intent gazes.

Elsa couldn't believe how attractive Anna was, her face glistening and her cheeks rosy with life. She looked down at her lips, and suddenly wanted nothing more than to feel their softness with her own. She was surprised at these urges, but she couldn't pull away as she was completely spellbound in the moment. Anna's lips looked so plump and kissable. Elsa wanted to taste them.

Her face was nearing Anna's. She looked into Anna's eyes, and couldn't figure out what Anna was thinking. Was it uncertainty? Curiosity? But Elsa couldn't decide because Anna's eyes were now closed, almost a little too tightly as if she were bracing herself for something. Elsa was now just a few centimeters away from Anna's face, unable to move any further.

She hesitated.

Then hesitated some more.

Her expectations not being met, Anna opened her eyes slightly to see what the holdup was. She was surprised to find Elsa's face right up against her own, so close that if she wanted she could lean up a little and peck her right on the lips if she dared. They both stayed like that for a couple seconds, their cheeks swirling with pink and strong curiosity pulsating through their bodies, neither one not daring to move.

Then, Elsa abruptly got up and clapped her hands together to clean them off.

"I'm hungry, let's go eat already." She reached down an arm to help Anna up.

Anna looked up at Elsa, both in confusion and annoyance. She reached up and smacked Elsa's hand to convey her mild frustration.

"Hmph. I'm not hungry and I want to play out here more." Anna, still lying on the floor crossed her arms, a little bitter about what didn't happen.

Elsa, still slightly shaken about what might have happened, chuckled. "Well, I guess I'll have your dessert portion then. I hear it's some kind of chocolate cake," she said, and made her way towards the ballroom doors.

"Elsa wait!" and she heard the pitter patter of Anna running up behind her. As they walked towards the doors, Elsa mentally kicked herself. She knew she'd been thinking of Anna in a different light recently, but she didn't know her feelings would take her over like this. They were strong and overpowering.


	3. The Bjorgman's

Kristoff poked at his chocolate cake with his fork. He was uncomfortable. His suit was tight and limiting, and he hated being around so many people.

"If you're not going to eat that, I'll eat it," Hans said as he took Kristoff's plate. Kristoff sighed as he sat back in his chair and scanned the ballroom. He didn't understand how these people could look so happy. What was the big deal? Why make such a frenzy about two people exchanging vows?

"Can't you look at least somewhat happy for mother?" Hans said with a mouthful of cake. "Even though you guys don't have the best relationship, it's like, the least you can do…you know, to smile once today."

Kristoff sourly retorted back to his brother. "You're completely biased, you're like her freaking jewel. She adores you so much, and she hates me. And I don't care about our relationship."

Kristoff crossed his arms and looked over to the main table where his mother Sylvia and her new husband Ruben were sitting. Kristoff had a knack for reading people and he saw right through his mother. She was self-centered, deceitful and manipulative. Her career was based on her ability to trick and fool people into believing that her behaviors were authentic, but it seemed like Kristoff was the only one that could see past it all. That's why Sylvia hated him. They had a twisted relationship, one where because Sylvia could not outsmart Kristoff, she feared him. She feared him so much, that this fear turned into a churning hate; a hate based upon the fact that he was the only one she could not use her acting "abilities" to persuade and control.

She tried in other ways to do this. For example, when Kristoff accusingly approached his mother about sending her now divorced husband away after he got out of prison, she railed on him and locked him in the attic for two days with only one break each day. Kristoff's real father was Sylvia's high school sweetheart, but when he ended up in jail Sylvia immediately left the marriage with not one look back.

Kristoff looked at her new husband Ruben and felt pity. _Another one of her pawns._ It was obvious to Kristoff that this was not true love, but another one of his mother's tactics to move up in the social ladder.

"I'm going to go for a walk." Kristoff said, leaving Hans at the table.

"Whatever, emo." Hans bitterly replied back, still engrossed in the cake.

In search for solace, he exited the ballroom. Now walking down the rock walled corridor, he took in the echoes his footsteps made in the empty hallway; he felt alone, but he liked it that way. He'd always been a loner. Ever since his father's mysterious disappearance, it'd always been his mother and Hans. With their father being gone, his mother needed a new servant to do her biddings.

Kristoff sighed and put his hands in his pockets. Hans was so gullible and naïve. Kristoff sometimes felt sorry for his brother, for the way Sylvia always manipulated him and used guilt as a method to make Hans do things for her. It was an unhealthy relationship to say the least.

_"Please Mother, I promise I'll do better next time! I just… just…the kid next to me was breathing so heavily and it was so distracting during all my tests this semester. It's his fault, his stupid asthma!" Hans begged as his mother looked away in disgust._

_"Second rank in class is basically the same thing as last place. Only the first rank in class gets all the recognition, don't you know Hans? Nobody asks who the second rank is, they always ask who the first rank is. How come I spent all this money for you to go to these after school programs and hire tutors for you, and you repay me with second rank? We don't even have that much money as it is!"_

_Hans was almost in tears. "I promise I'll do better next semester. I'll be the best businessman you've ever seen. Or I'll be a politician, just like you want. I'll be the most successful lawyer and bring in lots of money. I'll make you proud of me, I promise!"_

_Kristoff, who was listening from the top of the stairs, was repulsed. How could Hans stand this treatment? How could he not see the manipulation his mother was using on him?_

_He got up and went back to his room to continue playing his guitar. Music was the only way he could maintain his sanity in this dysfunctional family. Just as he started plucking at his guitar, he heard stomping from the stairway and knew trouble was coming._

_Sylvia barged into Kristoff's room and started screaming at him._

_"This partly your fault you know! You're such a bad influence on Hans. You're older! If you studied as much as you needed to and not waste your time with that stupid toy, you'd be going somewhere in life. You guys could study together! What is the matter with you?!"_

_Kristoff calmly stared at his mother, and then set his guitar aside. "Mother, this fear you have of your son failing is your own fear of failing being projected on to him. You've failed a lot of auditions to become an actress. And I always hear you complain about how you should be in this movie or this movie, but you never seem to escape this small role in this daytime soap opera. So you're angry with yourself for failing and for not becoming that rich and famous celebrity you've always dreamed of. You're now looking at your "failing" son and it's reminding you of yourself, and it's making you scared. So scared in fact that if any part of you or your family fails at anything, you believe it's your own failure. But it's not, so get over it."_

_Kristoff defiantly looked at his mother in the eyes, then picked up his guitar to strum it again._

_"What did you say to me? How DARE you try to figure out my past and try to think that you know everything about me. You know NOTHING about me! Look at all I've done for you. I've fed you and clothed you, and this is how you repay me? By talking back to me?! Look at you, you scum. You have no future! Start taking responsibility for yourself!" she screamed. And with that, she grabbed his guitar and started railing it against the wall._

_"MOTHER STOP! NOO!" but it was too late. The guitar he'd so painstakingly saved up for was destroyed._

The pain of the memory jarred him back the present. Kristoff shook his head to get rid of the negative feelings that were usually prompted whenever he thought of his mother. He had reached the end of the corridor and decided to take a left, where it led outside to a spouting water fountain in the distance.

He sighed again as he now thought of his father. His father was a failure out of high school. He was an alcoholic, involved in a gang, and was convicted of felony as he battered a bartender for not offering him more alcohol. He had served his time, but he mysteriously disappeared after he was released from prison.

_"I sent him off somewhere, so you don't have to worry about him asking for money or embarrassing us anymore." Sylvia replied to Kristoff._

_"But I want to know where he is. He's our father, god damn it mother!"_

Kristoff stopped in his tracks. He heard what sounded like two people giggling from around the corner. He stepped closer to the noise, keeping his steps quiet and agile.

As he peeked over the corner he saw two girls about eighteen and fifteen years old chattering on the bench near the water fountain. Narrowing his eyes to get a closer look, he recognized the one with the orange-ish hair to be Ruben's daughter. He knew himself, Hans and Sylvia were to move into Ruben's house and subsequently move in with her. Her name was Ann or something, and he saw a picture of her but never met her before.

He didn't recognize the one with the blonde hair though. He looked around to see if anybody was around, because a guy staring at two girls from a distance could easily be seen as creepy. Convinced he was alone, he continued to watch them. They seemed really close, the way they were chattering and interacting with each other.

Kristoff leaned in closer to hear what they were saying.

"You have some chocolate on your cheek Anna."

"Oh where, here?"

"No on the other side"

"Oh okay, is it gone now?"

"Uh…no…"

"Okay now?"

"Geez just…hold still."

After the platinum blonde haired girl gently wiped away the chocolate, Kristoff was surprised that she didn't pull away.

_Woah, what's happening here? This is different...and interesting._

Kristoff leaned his body closer to what was happening. The two girls weren't saying anything anymore. The blonde haired girl quickly brought her hand away and nervously chuckled.

"You've always been a messy one."

"I can't help it, that chocolate cake was pre-tty damn good."

As their conversation slowly started up again, Kristoff's instincts of reading other people kicked in.

_Sisters? No…best friends? Could be…_

There was something else he couldn't quit but his finger on.

Deciding that if he stayed there longer he'd be officially a creeper, he backed away and headed towards the ballroom again.


	4. A New Family

"Anna, Ruben, please meet my two sons Hans and Kristoff," Sylvia said nervously.

Kristoff stiffly kept his arms at his sides while Hans went and eagerly shook Ruben's hands. "Nice to finally meet you sir. You're house is amazing. Thank you for graciously bringing us into your new home." Hans looked around Ruben and Anna's living room, pretending to admire its size. He went on. "I've heard so much about you from mother. And you too Anna," as he shook her hand lightly. "I look forward to being your new stepbrother. I didn't really get a chance to meet you at the wedding, but I hope we can make up for that soon." Hans looked at his mother for approval. Her slight nod seemed to be accepting of his behavior.

_"It is absolutely imperative that you impress Ruben. We must prove that we are not some ill mannered, lower class peasants like your father. We're different people now, you understand? And his daughter, Anna. I hear she's quite the intellectual. Do you know how embarrassing it would be for both my sons to be illiterate and dumb while she's the bright one? I already have one failed son, don't disappoint me too Hans. Don't make a fool of yourself."_

Hans felt some relief from his mother's nod of approval.

Sylvia turned around to look at Kristoff, who remained behind both of them staring at the floor. "You'll have to excuse Kristoff here, he's always been recluse and shy. Come now Kristoff, at least show them your face." Sylvia took his arm to bring him closer to Ruben and Anna, pinching him hard on the back of his arm while doing so.

"Ow!"

Kristoff was pushed in front of Hans and Sylvia, where he stood in front of Anna and Ruben awkwardly. His arms remained firmly at his sides.

"Kristoff, it's nice to meet you," Ruben said kindly as he put his hand on his shoulder. "I hope you'll find our home comfortable to your liking. You're family now."

Anna jutted out her arm in anxious excitement. "Hi I'm Anna. And if you need anything, just let me know. I've always wanted some siblings."

Kristoff ignored Anna's hand and coldly shook Ruben's arm off his shoulder. He looked towards his right where the stairs were and without saying a word made his way towards the second floor where he assumed his new room would be.

"Little shit," Sylvia said under her breath. "Ah I'm sorry he's…there's something wrong with him, he needs a lot of disciplining and-"

"Oh it's fine. I'm sure he's just nervous is all," Ruben said as he looked at Kristoff stomping up the stairs.

* * *

As Kristoff reached the second floor, he huffed out in frustration. He hated all the fake politeness, all the pretending to be courteous and nice. Nobody is genuinely that nice. People are intrinsically selfish. There's always a selfish reason for people being nice, and Kristoff saw right through it. In this case, Kristoff knew Sylvia wanted to leave the lower class, crudely mannered lifestyle behind and enter the new middle-upper class of well-mannered and groomed people. She had warned both him and Hans to be on their best behavior so she could make a good impression of her sons so that she wouldn't be embarrassed in front of her new and fancy husband and daughter. Ruben and Anna probably wanted to show off just how regal and classy they were.

_She's probably super spoiled and privileged._

He passed by what seemed like Anna's room, full of sunshine and color, and cringed. He saw an empty room across from hers but kept walking. The hallway was medium length and took Kristoff a while to get to the end. He found an empty room at the end of the hall, put his belongings and guitar down on the bed, then swung the door shut.

* * *

"This'll be your room Hans," Ruben said as the new family made their way towards the room in the middle of the hall. "It's right across from Anna's, so if you need anything you can just easily knock on her door."

"That's right!" Anna said excitedly. "Remind me to give you some extra towels. We just got new ones that should go really nicely with the colors in your bathroom," Anna gave a hopeful smile at Hans, looking for one in return.

Hans smiled back. "Thanks Anna. I'll come visit you in your room right after I put my belongings down." Hans was sick of smiling at the girl. She smiled too much. She was pretty all right, but nothing special. The girl she'd been hanging out with at his mother's wedding was so much hotter. Hans wondered when Ruben and his mother would leave.

"Gee Ruben, this room is great. Again, thanks for having us. I promise Kristoff and I won't be a burden to you. We'll make sure to take care of Anna too," Hans said spiritedly.

Anna chuckled. "Oh don't worry, I can take care of myself. In fact I-"

"And we'll help out with chores if you need us to. I'm especially good at cooking Italian food," Hans interrupted. He looked at his mother for approval, but she was looking down at her ring.

"Why, thanks Hans. I look forward to it," Ruben replied.

They reached the empty room.

"Well, here it is. I hope it's big enough. Why don't you put your belongings in this closet here, and here's your own bathroom. Once you get settled, come on down for some dinner. I requested some seafood tonight, I hope you don't mind."

Ruben patted Hans on the back, kissed Anna on the top of her head, and headed downstairs with Sylvia. Hans now looked at Anna, who was timidly standing by the door. "So I'll be in my room, right across the hall. You know-"

"No I'll go with you now. I want to see your room. One second," Hans interrupted again.

"Oh…alright then." Anna waited for him to unload his things onto the bed, and together they made their way towards her room.

In the hallway, Anna's stomach was still churning. She was excited about having new people in the house, new friends and brothers to mingle with, but she was also very nervous about it. She wanted to make sure they felt comfortable and at home as possible, but she didn't quite know how she should go about it. She made up her mind to be as open and amicable as possible. "Here it is! It's not too far see?"

They both entered her room, which was amazingly feminine but also featured some masculine characteristics, making an interesting and stark contrasts. Most of her room was shades of pink, red and ruby but her bathroom was shades of white and blue. They somehow faded into and complemented each other, the two clashing colors creating a kind of lively luminosity. This color scheme pattern was apparent all throughout her bedroom.

Hans was floored by the grandiosity of everything she had. Her bed was flourished with drapes and the bedpost was decorated with intricate designs and patterns. All her furniture seemed to be the best quality of wood, and she had a white mini grand piano in her room. She even had her own balcony.

"Dang, your room is…pretty damn nice," Hans said slowly, as he was still soaking it all in. He tried not to sound jealous, but his jealous was growing by the minute. What did this annoying girl ever do to deserve a room like this?

"Aha…thanks. I guess it's nice having a dad in the wine business. People sure love their wine…" Anna shyly rubbed the back of her neck. "Oh! Your towels! Let me get them for you."

As she shuffled to her bathroom, Hans noticed something glinting from the sunlight in the corner of his eye and he turned his head to find himself looking at her makeup desk. On it, he couldn't believe his eyes when he saw a small display case full of expensive looking watches. There must have been ten of them. He went over to them and opened to case, finding them all to be handsome unisex watches. He picked up one. It was heavy and felt expensive. He looked closer and saw the brand.

_Shit_. These were half a year's worth of his family's old rent.

"Here are your towels, they're the best from Neupette's right now, I'm sure of it." Hans heard Anna approaching behind him.

"Oh that's my watch collection! I love watches, I don't wear much of anything else for jewelry besides those. Feel free to borrow them whenever you want! You're my brother now, so we can share things."

Hans put the watch back in the display case and turned around. "Eh, they're alright." He took the towels from girl. "What kind of towels do you have?" He started walking towards her bathroom.

"Oh…they're from Neupette's too. They're blue."

Hans stepped into her bathroom and saw her towels. They were just towels, but he immediately wanted hers. They were blue and they looked thicker and just overall better. "I want those ones," Hans said to Anna, who was behind him warily peering in from the bathroom doorway.

"Oh uhmm…those are used, don't you want new ones? And these grey ones, they're the newest from Neupette's. They have this new technology where it absorbs the water right off your skin. They're much more expensive and better qua-"

"So I get the ugly grey ones and you get these nice blue ones?" Hans gave her a criticizing look. "They look thicker and better. So you'll always get the nicer things between us? Nope." He shoved the grey towels in Anna's arms and started taking her towels.

"Ohh uhhmm… but Hans…. these grey ones match your room though, and these blue ones match mine, we ordered the specific colors, and-"

"Anna they're just towels, and I like blue too. If these grey ones are supposed to be so nice, why don't you take 'em? You just want the better ones for yourself huh." And with all of the towels in his arms he stepped out of the bathroom and started walking to his own room.

"No….of-of course you can have them Hans, I didn't mean it like that! Whatever is mine is yours now. We're siblings. We can share everything alright?" Anna hurriedly replied to Hans as she followed him out of the bathroom.

Hans scoffed as he took a look back at Anna. "Hah, don't think for a second you're getting any special treatment because you're the only girl or anything. Look Anna..." Now at his own doorway, he dropped the towels onto the floor besides his door and turned to face Anna outside the doorway.

"I know you've been used to being treated like the only child, the princess, whatever. You have competition now, and you probably don't know what that's like. But don't expect anything from me, got that? It's every child for himself or herself or whatever."

Anna's eyes were wide with confusion. She didn't know what to say.

"Uh…I…alright…"

"Buh-bye now."

Hans gave a little wave and closed the door in her face.

Anna stared at the door surprised and utterly baffled.

_Competition? What did he mean?_

She didn't know what to expect, but she didn't know it would be something like this. She just wanted everything to go smoothly with this new family. She wanted to be close with her new brothers. Making her father happy was her first priority so making him worry with any complaints was the last thing she wanted to do. She didn't want to interrupt this newfound happiness he had with Sylvia.

_Maybe they were both just cranky today?_

Hands still clammy from nervousness, she slowly backed away from the door and silently went to her own room.


	5. Rose Gold

Ruben dropped off Anna and Hans in the parking lot in front of the school. "Hans good luck on your first day, have fun pal. I love you Anna sweetheart, thanks for making father proud. When you meet Kristoff, tell him to not be so stubborn on Monday." He waved and both watched him pull out of the parking lot in his white SUV. Kristoff had refused any rides to school and took the bus. He was months older than Hans but close enough in age for both to be juniors; Kristoff was older than most juniors while Hans was younger.

Feeling timid, Anna turned her head towards Hans who was now turned around looking at the high school. "Come on, we're in the same class so I'll introduce you to the teacher. It's a mixed class of sophomores and juniors."

"Don't worry, I'll introduce myself, " Hans replied proudly, "Lead the way princess."

Anna hesitated for a second trying to figure out his tone. "Alright then, this way," she said trying to put on a confident smile. She led him inside the school building as the bells rang.

"Hi everyone, this is Hans. He's my new stepbrother, so you all better be welcoming or else!" Anna gave a shy smile as she presented her hands towards Hans as if he were a prize that they'd won or something. Suddenly aware of her awkwardness in front of the whole classroom, she quickly shuffled to her own desk and quickly sat down.

Hans, now the only one at the front of the class, was quiet. He didn't know what to say and looked to the teacher for some assistance. The teacher understood. "Welcome Hans. You're lucky that you have Anna to show you around. You two could probably study together too. She's one of the brightest in your class you know. In fact, she's one of our high school's top students and we're very proud of her."

At the sound of this Hans began to boil. He couldn't stand the jealousy that had suddenly surged within him. He opened his mouth. "Well, at my old school, I was actually the top student of my grade. So maybe I could teach her a thing or two." He chuckled, and the class was silent. He quickly continued. "My mother is also, Sylvia Bjorgman, the tv star?" He looked to see if any faces lit up at the sound of her name. "Yea she's really famous among older people that watch daytime soap operas so you guys probably haven't heard of her. She's won a bunch of awards and stuff, forgot which ones," Hans lied.

"Yea I think I've heard of Sylvia Bjorgman," a young man lazily held up his hand. "Isn't she the one that like…sent her husband away or something? Some kind of rumor or…"

Hans's heart rate began to beat faster and he started to panic. "Hah, you know celebrities and rumors, none of them are true." His eyes darted from one student's face to another to see if they could see him getting anxious. "She's actually really nice and has a bunch of awards for community service too," Hans lied again. "In fact, she was nice enough to let Anna and her father move in with us. Our house was big enough anyways to let them in." He saw Anna's eyes widen in surprise, her mouth gaping open slightly.

"Yea and my mother also said that after school today, since today is Friday she's treating all of us to go to Mystery World for free." The whole class erupted in excitement with whispers and yelps arising here and there.

"Dude, your mom's awesome!"

"Yea she must be one cool chick! I'm going to see the new light show they have!"

"What, really?! Mystery World, oh heck yea!"

Anna sat frozen in her seat. She was speechless and didn't know how to react. Ruben had recently given Hans and Kristoff access to Anna's emergency bank account for any emergencies the three children should had. She looked up at Hans with a baffled look, who was now looking straight at her with what looked like a snobbish grin. What was happening?

**-7 hours later-**

The bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Everybody instantly got up and swarmed around the cool new rich kid Hans.

"What's it like having a huge house?"

"Does your mom know actress Eve Menzel?"

"Do you get to go to Mystery World all the time?"

Anna saw that Hans was loving the attention and admiration. She really wasn't sure if the answers he was giving were exaggerations or not, but they sure sounded somewhat embellished to her. As Anna packed up her bag she saw that Hans had already packed his and was making his way towards the door with the rest of the students eagerly following him, leaving Anna behind.

She slowly finished packing up her things, still not being able to wrap her head around her new stepbrother. How come he said she and her father moved into his house when it was the other way around? Why did he _lie_ like that?

Anna scanned the classroom and saw that it was already empty. She knew she didn't have many friends, as she was quite an introvert. She was awkward and her high test scores made her a bit of an outcast as well. She only liked and desired the company of one person anyway. Elsa went to a private school on the other side of the city though which made Anna's lunchtimes very lonely.

She got up and slung her messenger bag over her head and rest it on her shoulder. Today it oddly felt heavier than usual. She sighed and looked out the window. It had been a long and confusing day. It was raining outside, so she crossed her arms across her chest to embrace herself for the cold and made her way to the front of the school building to walk home.

* * *

Hans shoved his way towards the entrance of the school with a crowd full of his classmates following behind. "Hey class, it looks like we'll have to take taxis. I'll pay though," he yelled over the sound of pattering rain and students chatting around him. He was met with a cheer from his peers.

He readied himself to step into the rain, but right as he took the first step he looked up to find a stretch limo with darkly tinted glasses pulling up to the front of the school building.

"Woah who's that? Look at that ride!"

"Hans is that your mother?!"

"There are flags on the windows, that means they're from the government!"

The students were buzzing at the sight of such royalty and were excitedly yelling their guesses at each other, when a bodyguard came out of the front seat holding an umbrella. The students fell silent, anticipating who was about to emerge. The bodyguard first opened the umbrella, making sure it was steady over the door he was about to open. He then opened the door and at first nobody saw who it was because the door was blocking the way. But when the person came from behind it, there was a small collective gasp from the students.

The girl was absolutely stunning, and she seemed to exude magnificence as she stepped out from the limo. Her head was full of silver-blonde hair that flowed generously from her head down into a thick braid, which rested on her shoulder. Her school uniform consisted of a nicely fitted grey flannel wool blazer with a breast pocket adorned with a fancy letter E. Under the blazer the collars of her white dress shirt were complimented by a thin, black tie. Her plaid skirt of grey, green and blue seemed to swish gracefully with her hips as she now was making her way up the stairs. It was apparent that the skirt had been folded up a couple times revealing a bit more than was intended, making many knees weak. The outfit was completed with a pair of black knee-high stockings and black oxford heels.

As she climbed the last flight of stairs with the umbrella, people started whispering again.

"Who is she?"

"She's freaking hot"

"Hey isn't that the Mayor's daughter?"

People seemed to part and create a walkway for Elsa as she approached the school doors. Hans, remembering her from his mother's wedding, took this opportunity to introduce himself in front of his peers for social points.

"Hi, you wer-"

"Does anybody know where Anna is?" Elsa almost commanded, not to Hans in particular but to everyone.

Hans was taken back by her bluntness and a little embarrassed by his failure to initiation a conversation with this girl that was now the center of attention. He shut his mouth and backed up.

"So hot..."

"Who's she here for?"

"Did she say Anna?"

People looked around to see if Anna was there.

"She's back here!" cried a girl and almost immediately a pathway was formed between Elsa and Anna. Anna, who was towards the back of the crowd, didn't know what was going on until now.

"Elsa!" She ran through the mass towards Elsa and threw herself around her. Elsa smiled and wrapped her free arm around Anna in return.

"Come on, let's go. I have special plans for us tonight. Thank god it's Friday right?" Elsa said, her attention on nobody else but the girl in her arm.

Anna nodded eagerly. They walked down the steps holding each other side-by-side, with Elsa steadily holding the single umbrella over both of them.

"Oh my god…"

"She's gorgeous."

"Yea I think she's the mayor's daughter."

"Aw I'm sort of jealous..." a girl sighed longingly as she watched them walk towards the limo.

Hans was fuming with jealousy. Not only did the only girl he ever actually considered attractive ignore him, but she also took Anna, the girl that was his prime competitor. Loathing, he saw Anna turn back right before she got into the limo.

"Hans, need a ride? It's raining and we can drop you off at home," Anna cried out into the rain. Students around Hans were twittering.

"Hans, dude take the ride it's a limo."

"Oh my god she's so pretty"

Hans continued to stared at the two, his fists were balled up and tense. "Come on guys, the more time we waste the less time we have for Mystery World," he yelled a little too loudly as he stomped his way over to the taxi line.

Anna watched him splash his way over the to taxi line, but then she met Elsa's eyes lovingly staring down at her. And she smiled, forgetting about Hans and hopped into the limo. After Elsa handed the bodyguard the umbrella, he closed the door and the two were alone, safe and dry in the back of the secluded car.

"Elsa I've missed you soo much, you don't even know." Anna cooed inching toward Elsa, settling for the middle seat to sit next to her. She felt heavy and wanted nothing more than to just let out all the strange happenings that had occurred with Hans and Kristoff. But she knew that Elsa worried way too much about everything, and she didn't want to add onto the long list of things Elsa had to be concerned about. She just wanted today to be a worry-free and a careless Friday night.

"Anna I missed you more, so much in fact, that I couldn't help but get you a present." Elsa gave Anna a sly smile. "But only if you can guess what it is."

"Aww Elsa you know I hate it when you ask me this question. It could be anything!" Anna tugged at Elsa's arm, then intertwined her own arm around hers and rest her chin on Elsa's shoulder. "Please Elsa pleeeee-aaase? Don't tease me like this."

Elsa felt her cheeks flush. She was uncomfortable with Anna being so close to her like this. "Alright alright! Here!" She took this opportunity to create some distance between them, grabbing the shopping bag that was on the side seats in the limo in front of them.

"Weeee!" Anna cried in glee.

With one of her arms still hooked into Elsa's, Anna took the bag with her free arm and reached inside, pulling out a perfect cube with a line cutting into it, indicating that it was meant to be opened. "Aww a cube, you shouldn't have. It's a cute lil' cube," Anna joked.

Elsa rolled her eyes, making it obvious she was not amused. "Anna, now you're teasing me. Just open it already!"

Anna laughed and opened the cube. "A watch! Oooo I love…"

She stopped abruptly. She brought the watch closer to her face, furrowing her eyebrows in concentration. Elsa couldn't hold back her smile, knowing the surprise that Anna had yet to discover. "Elsa…this….this! Oh my god…Elsa this is….how did you? Is it really?"

It was another unisex watch, the ones that Anna cherished so dearly. But this wasn't just any kind of watch. There were only ten of this kind and each one was worth a fortune. It was rose gold with a big face as most unisex watches have. Simple in design with a sleek rose gold band, but with tiny diamond studs lining the small roman numeral numbers on the face, as well as on top of the hands. The design of both the diamonds and rose gold was what made this watch so desirable. The simple mixture of diamond and rose gold was stunning.

"Yep, and you have one of the ten. I was hoping you'd like it." Elsa said, with a cunning smile. She couldn't stop watching Anna and her adorable facial expressions. This girl was priceless. Elsa could buy every expensive thing in the world for Anna and it still wouldn't be enough to express what Anna meant to her.

"Elsa, you shouldn't have. I don't know what to say….I mean, this must have cost you…like…a lot!" Anna finally pried her eyes away from the watch and looked at Elsa with round, sparkling eyes. "Elsa, I honestly don't know what to say. Thank you? That doesn't seem like enough though." She looked back at the watch and turned the precious gift over in her hands to get a better feel.

Elsa didn't reply. She wasn't paying attention because she was lost, gazing affectionately at Anna. She wanted to caress Anna's soft face, and her fingers were itching to do so, but she refrained. Elsa jumped when Anna loudly snapped the cube shut.

"Thank you so much Elsa. I can't thank you enough. This is so wonderful. This was something I've desperately needed, especially at a time like now. I'll make it up to you somehow," Anna cooed again.

"It's something I've been meaning to get you for a long time. I hope it'll be another proud addition to your watch collection," Elsa replied, pleased that Anna enjoyed the gift. Elsa paused. "And what do you mean it was something you desperately needed at a time like now?" Elsa looked down at Anna questioningly.

"Oh, I just meant…that, I just….I haven't had a new watch in a long time, so it's nice adding another one. A really nice one at that." Anna looked straight ahead at the driver and bodyguard way in the front, both of whom were blocked by soundproof glass.

"Oh I see. Say, by the way, how was the move in? With the two brothers and Sylvia. What were their names again?"

Anna felt uneasy. "Oh, their names are Hans and Kristoff. W-we haven't talked much yet so I don't know much about them yet. But so far they seem nice." She wanted to change the subject. The thought of the two unfriendly brothers suddenly made her realize she was quite tired. It had been a long week. "Hey Elsa, do you mind if a take a short nap before we arrive at wherever we're going?"

Elsa noticed Anna's change in tone and felt something might be bothering her. "Sure of course. You can lay ov-" but before Elsa had the chance to lift her arm to signal towards the long stretch of seats perpendicular to them in the limo, Anna had rested her head in the crook of Elsa's neck between her chin and shoulders.

With her arm still wrapped snugly around Elsa's arm, Anna closed her eyes and rested comfortably. She took a deep breathe in, taking in Elsa's sweet scent. With the safeness and comfort that Elsa's mere presence provided her, the stress and worries she had experienced this week melted away as she dozed off into a light sleep.

Elsa on the other hand was not as relaxed as her counterpart. She was holding her breath, trying to stay as still as possible, afraid she might disturb the napping beauty with any movements. She hoped that she wouldn't hear her heart thumping against her chest. After some very still minutes, Elsa heard Anna's breathing get heavier, signaling she had dozed off.

Relaxing for a bit, Elsa reveled in the moment. Her heart was soaring. How could she be so lucky? After looking out the window for a few minutes Elsa decided to lightly rest her head on Anna's, hoping she wouldn't wake her.

And within a few moments both were dreaming sweet reveries, nuzzled lovingly atop each other.

Little did they know though, this would be one of the last times they would be able to embrace each other in this manner for a long, long time.


	6. Sibling Tensions

Anna ran through the school doors and into the hallway, her adrenaline fueled by surging aggravation. _He __better not have…he sure better not have. _She burst through the doorway to her classroom to find everybody crowded around Hans.

"It's so nice, how much was it Hans?"

"Oh, the Mayor's daughter gave it to me as a gift. I think she likes me or something."

"That girl from last week? Dang!"

Hans looked up and noticed a heavily breathing and fuming Anna at the door. "Anna, you're a little late, the bell's just about to ring." Hans smirked smartly.

Anna stomped her way over to Hans's desk. "Hans, I need to talk to you. Now. Outside." Anna glared.

Still slightly smiling, Hans coolly got up from his chair and followed Anna outside to the front of the school building.

Outside, Hans watched Anna angrily pace back in front of him. He crossed his arms and looked at her distastefully with a sneer. What the heck did she have to be upset about? She's been living in a mansion her whole life, she's had a father that is far too nice and spoiling, and she has a heck lot of social points for being close friends with the hot Mayor's daughter. What did she do to deserve all that?

Anna stopped in front of Hans, and took a deep breath. "You should've asked me first, or at least told me in advance." She looked down at Hans's wrist and felt violated at the sight of her new precious watch. "I was almost late looking for that watch." He could tell her voice was thick with irritation, demanding an explanation.

Hans pulled his wrist up and looked at the watch. "You know, you're kind of a hypocrite aren't you. Weren't you the one that said we could share things, since we're siblings now?" He peered at Anna, who was taken back at the accusation.

"N…No. Of course we can share things. It's just that I just got that watch, and it means a lot to me. I got it from Elsa. She's m-"

"So you're saying I can't wear your new things, but I can wear your old used ones? Is that how it is? Well Anna, I didn't know that. You should've told me from the beginning that I can only wear your old hand-me-downs . Then I would've understood."

Anna was stunned. "Hans…y-you_ know _that's not what I meant. It's just that you should've-" At that moment a burly figure passed right between them. It was Kristoff, who had just now arrived at school from taking the bus. A surge of hope arose in Anna. _Maybe Kristoff will talk some sense into this brat. _But to her dismay he walked passed both of them.

"I don't want any part of this," he said indifferently and continued to walk into the school.

"Here," Hans took the watch off and shoved it into Anna's hands. "It's okay I get it. I'm not from a rich household, so we're not supposed to wear nice expensive things like this anyways right? I just thought I could wear a nice watch for once, that's all." He gave Anna an unpleasant look and started walking towards the school doors.

"Hans! Are you being serious right now?! You know that's not what I meant!" Anna stood in disbelief as she watched Hans stride into the school building.

* * *

The three siblings were sitting on the sofa in the living room couch. The vast couch extended and took a perpendicular turn, where Sylvia and Ruben now sat studying the three pieces of paper they had in their hands. They had just received in the mail the big mid-annual test that measured the students' intellectual abilities.

"Kristoff dear, as usual I am very disappointed in you. Next time I expect you to do better, alright?" Sylvia tried voicing her kindest tone. When she was sure Ruben wasn't looking, she quickly shot a menacing glare at Kristoff, who rolled his eyes.

She looked over at Ruben, who was still looking at the first paper. "Don't worry, his scores aren't too bad, he'll do better at the end of the year, am I right bud?" Kristoff did not reply.

They turned to the next sheet. Sylvia gasped and Ruben shot a proud smile at Hans. "Hans, Congratulations! Second out of all your class! That's wonderful!" Ruben reached out to shake Hans's hand, which Hans eagerly obliged.

"This is wonderful. Hans has always been a good student. Great job dear." Sylvia gave an approving nod to Hans. He was beaming. Sylvia saw him look over at Anna, who was looking at the floor. _Finally maybe Hans will prove to be worth something, to prove that our family isn't just some low class trash._

They then looked at the last sheet of paper, which were Anna's test scores. Suddenly, Ruben got up from his seat and clapped his hands together with vitality. "Haha! Anna! Look at you! First rank! Sweetie, this is wonderful! I'm so proud honey!" He went over to an embarrassed looking Anna who was still looking at the floor. He gave her a big hug and kissed the top of her head.

"Heh, thanks dad." She rubbed the back of her neck and continued looking at the floor.

_What?! _Sylvia couldn't believe this. "Oh my…Anna darling that is amazing. You're quite the student, aren't you?" It was difficult to act pleasantly when combating strong, churning emotions of irritation and frustration. Sylvia had to unclench her teeth before she spoke again.

"Your father must be so proud." She shot Hans a threatening look. Frightened, Hans slowly sunk back into the sofa.

"We should all celebrate," Ruben declared, taking a seat next to Anna. Let's go out to dinner this Friday to celebrate. How about some French cuisine and then some wine tasting? We have a new and rare shipment from the east. You kids aren't of age yet, but I won't tell anybody." He winked down at Anna, who was now looking up at her father.

"Oh umm…I actually had plans this Friday. I can go to dinner but afterwards Elsa and I were going to hang out."

Sylvia had heard of Anna's friend, this Elsa. Her father had been the Mayor of Arendelle but he died in a car accident. Her mother took over as Mayor and Elsa would be the next heir. She was Anna's only friend. _Pathetic._

"Mmm alright then. You know I always love having Elsa around. Why don't the both of you come over for a bit on Friday?" Ruben looked down at his daughter. "She's going abroad to study soon, isn't she? You'd better savor these last few days with her."

Anna gave a sad, yet hopeful look back to her father. "Yea, I hope we make the best of these next few weeks. I'll miss her so much."

Ruben looked up at the rest of the family. "Alright, let's wash up and get ready for dinner. Anna, can I have a word with you?"

The rest of the family made their way to their rooms while Anna and Ruben remained sitting on the sofa. When they were alone, Ruben took Anna's hands into his own. "Anna, I am so proud of you. What have I done to deserve such a great daughter?"

Anna gave him a weak smile. "It's nothing. It's you that makes me proud. You were in such a dark place before, and…and now you seem happy. You're happy, right father?" A painful ball started to form in Anna's throat. She wanted to tell her father so badly about her unfriendly brothers. Sylvia was distant too and never really tried connecting with Anna. With Ruben now spending most of his time with Sylvia, Anna never felt more alone in this house, even though the people in it had more than doubled.

Ruben looked down with a thankful smile. "Sweetheart. I know I was in a bad place before, but I've never been happier. I still love your mother dearly, but I also love Sylvia. She is good to me. And this family seems so perfect. I couldn't be better."

Anna looked down at her lap, the ball in her throat aching. She knew she couldn't tell her father about anything now. He was happy, and that's all she wanted for him.

"I'm happy too father."

* * *

Hans searched the contents of the refrigerator to find something that would hit the spot. Something that would make him forget about his embarrassing moment earlier in front of the whole family. _Second place…again. Anna beat me._

He discovered a loaf of pound cake in the freezer. _Weren't the rich supposed to have good stuff? _He took it out and started to slice off a piece. A stony voice from the living room made him stop in his tracks.

"Stress eating again, are we?"

Hans nervously looked up as his mother made her way towards the kitchen.

"Makes sense, you should be stressed. In fact, you should be ashamed."

Hans avoided her eye contact. He quickly finished cutting the slice and turned his back to his mother, pretending to look for a plate.

"Tsk tsk tsk, what are we going to do with you, Hans? Is it just in your nature to never be enough? What have I told you?" He felt a pair of cold hands grip him by the shoulders and with surprising force, turned him around.

"You had one, simple job. All you had to do was score above one person. One person! And of all the people in the class, Anna beat you. What do you think people are going to say about my sons compared to Anna?! Do you like embarrassing me, is that it?!"

He felt his eyes tearing up, and fell to his knees. "Mother please! It's a new school. I was probably stressed out from the change. I'm sure I'll do well for the final test, I'll get rank first, I swear!" He looked up at his mother who was staring ahead with furious eyes, absorbed in thought.

"Mother…please." The last time she looked this upset Hans had walked away with a big welt on his head.

Sylvia now looked down at her son with pity. "By the way things are looking Hans, you yourself won't be enough." She kneeled down next to her son and took his face into her hands. "I can't have a second-rate son. I will not stand for it. This household is not for average second-rate people." She paused, and although she was looking straight into Hans's wet eyes she seemed to be thinking about something else.

After a moment of thought and silence, Sylvia said one word.

"Elsa."

Hans frantically searched his mother's face to understand what she meant. Sylvia took a deep breath in and redirected her focus towards educating her son. "You will marry Elsa. I've been thinking about her. She's going to be the next mayor and you will become the mayor's husband. You will be royalty and nothing else. She is your only hope to become respected, a person of status."

Hans eyes were panicked. His mother's intensity was frightening.

"If you don't want to end up like your father or your brother, you will listen to me. This is the only way now, seeing you are incapable of doing anything on your own. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes mother."

Sylvia stood up. Her tone was more relaxed now, but still eerie as ever.

"Good. Don't let me down again. This is your last chance." With one last threatening look, she turned and left Hans on the floor.

Hans was trembling.

_This is my last chance. I have no other options left. I'm going to be Elsa's husband, if it's the last thing I do._

His legs still a bit unsteady, he got up and looked at his lone slice of pound cake. Feeling numb, he took the knife and cut four more slices. He wrapped them up in a paper napkin, took them upstairs, and consumed them one by one in silence.


	7. Cuddling Anna

Anna and Elsa were sitting on the piano bench in Anna's room. Elsa was playing a soft, sophisticated musical piece like it was nothing, gently pressing the keys with natural dexterity. Anna sat next to Elsa listened intently, soaking up every note and melody.

Anna had never been one to be talented in music. Her parents bought her the piano when she was younger for her to develop the skill, but it just wasn't one of her gifts. She asked her parents to keep the piano though, because whenever Elsa would come over she would fill the room with sweet melodies and powerful expressions that made Anna feel alive.

As Elsa ended one song and subtly transitioned into another without breaking, it suddenly hit Anna that Elsa would be gone next week, and that she wouldn't be able to hear her play until she came back for winter break.

A small sigh escaped from Anna's mouth. Aware of the limited time she had left with Elsa, she moved closer to her and gently leaned her head on her shoulder. Elsa paused in her playing, letting the last few notes she pressed resonate momentarily. "Anna, what's wrong?"

Without looking up at Elsa, Anna gave another quiet sigh before she spoke. "Four years is such a long time Elsa. It's _such _a long time." Anna heard Elsa take her hands off the keys. A still silence took over.

"Anna…"

"No, I know. You'll be coming back during your breaks. And we can send snail mail to each other."

The Royal Academy had very strict policies about communication and contact with their students; family and acquaintances were to contact the students only by conventional postal delivery service.

"I just…" A painful ball had welled up in Anna's throat. She closed her eyes as she felt them begin to water.

Anna felt Elsa's body turn and shift, and she reciprocated but kept her head down. They were now sitting with their bodies facing each other on the piano bench. Anna was looking at her hands anxiously wrapped within each other on her lap when Elsa reached over and took them into her own. "The first semester will go by in a flash and I'll be back before you know it. It might be fun too, being pen pals. We can send each other snacks and I'll send you cute postcards."

She continued to look down at their hands, wishing Elsa's words were enough to cheer her up.

Anna recalled back to a time when Elsa wasn't as resilient and composed as she was now. When Elsa was a little younger, she was unable to handle her stress very well, and as a daughter with many expectations put upon her, the stress was overwhelming. She shut everybody out, including Anna. The rift between them was more than Anna could bear and she frantically did everything in her power to rekindle their friendship. It was only after therapy for her anxiety problems that Elsa understood that along with practice and exposure, social support was one of the most important factors to recovery. Slowly but surely Elsa bravely started to open up to Anna, letting herself become vulnerable and imperfect. Anna embraced her wholly and unconditionally, and this alone was enough to give Elsa a solid foundation.

Looking up at Elsa's face, Anna noticed just how tired she must've been from all the packing and preparing for her trip. There were slight bags under her eyes, and her face didn't have the glow it usually did. Her eyes were sad and marked with worry for Anna.

_"It's very important for her friends and family to understand that Elsa will always be anxious. She can learn how to cope and minimize it, but it will always be there. "_

The voice of Elsa's therapist resonated in Anna's head, and she looked down at their hands again in guilt. She realized how selfish she was being. Elsa was about to make a gigantic life change, moving across the country to start the next chapter of her life and leaving all that she'd known behind.

_Just how nervous and anxious do you think she is right now Anna? Pull yourself together. No time to talk about your problems right now, they're nothing compared to hers. It's time for you to be the brave one now. _

Anna looked up and smiled as big as she could for Elsa. "You know, you're right. This could be interesting. I could send you your favorite cream soda every month. I bet they don't have it over there. And you'd better send me cute little letters with small drawings on the margins of the paper, and stickers and stuff like that." Anna was relieved to see some of the worry from Elsa's face disappear and a small smile start to form. "And if you even dare to write a boring old letter being like 'Dearest Anna' or 'Sincerely yours, Elsa', or if the writing has no little drawings here and there…" Anna pretended to be intimidating but kept her smile in place. "Then I won't send you your favorite cream soda and I'll send you crappy snacks. _And_ there will be no drawings in my letters to you. And I'll _type_ them in black text. Using…"

Anna brought her finger up to Elsa's nose. "Comic_. _Sans." She playfully tapped the tip of Elsa's perfect nose as she said emphasized the two words.

Elsa laughed, and Anna knew it was genuine. She couldn't help but giggle along with Elsa; her laughs were incredibly contagious. Nothing made her happier than seeing Elsa happy.

* * *

_Is she awake?_

Elsa and Anna were lying on their left sides on Anna's bed. Both of them were facing the wall parallel to the bed watching the television that was attached to the wall. Elsa slowly shifted her body to her other side to get a look at the clock on the nightstand to see what time it was.

_2:23am._

Elsa carefully shifted her body back onto her left side so that she once again had a good view of the television screen. Not wanting the night to be over just yet, earlier Anna suggested they pop in a movie. It was halfway through, and Elsa hadn't been paying much attention.

_Is she sleeping?_

Anna hadn't spoken since the movie started and had stopped shuffling around for a while. She was very still, with the side of her body slowly rising and falling with her breathing. Elsa found herself slowly scanning Anna's side silhouette, taking in every curve and crevice. She needed Anna more than anybody would ever know. Anna was her rock.

_How am I going to survive without her?_

The nervous knot in her stomach seemed to tighten at the thought. Would snail mail be enough for them to keep in touch? Would she be able to cope with the stress of university without Anna by her side? Would Anna be alright alone?

Elsa's heart rate picked up its pace. Her breathing started to become rapid and shallow. Before her anxiety got any worse, Elsa remembered her coping techniques. Closing her eyes, she started breathing in and breathing out slowly.

_Breathe in, two, three, four….out, two, three four. Rest for a moment…okay again. Breathe, two, three, four…out, two, three four._

After ten sets, Elsa felt calmer. She opened her eyes again to appreciate Anna's side silhouette one more time before falling asleep.

_I wish I could h-_

Suddenly without looking back, Anna reached her arm behind her and started feeling around the bed.

_She's awake?!_

Surprised that Anna hadn't been sleeping, Elsa looked down at the blindly probing hand. It finally found Elsa's hand and grabbed onto it, pulling it towards her body. Elsa complied and slid her body more closely towards Anna, but Anna wasn't satisfied yet. She kept pulling Elsa's arm until Elsa's body was right up against hers. Still holding onto Elsa's hand, Anna started to wrap Elsa's arm around her own body. Elsa held her breath.

Her right arm was now wrapped around Anna's waist with Anna's arm on top of hers, hugging it close. Elsa was propping herself up with her left elbow, still unsure with the situation. Wide-eyed, Elsa looked down at Anna. Her eyes were closed.

"D-do you want a blanket?" Elsa whispered close to Anna's ear. Without opening her eyes, Anna nodded.

Thankful for the opportunity to air out her slightly sweaty palm, Elsa pulled away and started to pull at the blanket from underneath them. Anna finally opened her eyes and started to kick the covers loose from under them. As Elsa started to get under the blankets, Anna took the remote and turned off the tv, enveloping them in darkness.

Just as Elsa got fully under the blankets, she again felt Anna's hand grab her own. Understanding what Anna wanted, Elsa obeyed, intentionally wrapping her arm around Anna's waist. But not yet fully satisfied, Anna reached down and brought Elsa's hand up to her chest, intertwining her fingers around Elsa's, clutching it like a small teddy bear. Heart racing, Elsa settled her body closely against Anna's back. Anna responded by snuggling her backside deeper into Elsa's body, leaving no room for doubt about what was happening in this moment.

_I'm actually cuddling with her. We're spooning…_

Under the covers with Anna pressed cozily up against her body, Elsa had never felt as comfortable and safe as she did now. Burrowing her face deeper into Anna's hair, Elsa temporarily tucked away the thoughts of their impending separation next week. She relished this moment, hoping sleep would never come.


	8. Elsa's Departure

Anna was waiting on the sofa bouncing her legs up and down with nervous energy. She looked at the staircase wondering where Sylvia and Hans were.

"It's time to leave! Don't want to be late!" Anna yelled in the nicest tone possible. Anna started wringing her hands anxiously when she didn't hear a reply. If she were late for Elsa's departure…

She shook the thought out of her head. She would refuse for this to happen. What was taking them so long? Out of the blue Hans and Sylvia had offered a ride for Anna to the airport saying that they too wanted to bid Elsa farewell. Her father was at work so he had to miss out.

_The more the merrier, I suppose?_

Just as Anna made up her mind to go check on them upstairs, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. "Dear I'm sorry, it's just my curls aren't holding in today. It looks like I'll need my special hair spray, which is in the storage closet upstairs. Hmmm, Anna would you be a dear and fetch it for me?"

Heading toward the kitchen, Sylvia shot a smile at Anna. "It would help me greatly, and we could leave in as little as five minutes if you helped me."

Anna frowned when Sylvia had her back towards her. She was slightly annoyed as they were supposed to be out the doors ten minutes ago. There was something about Sylvia that Anna couldn't quite make out. Her smile just now was oddly…eerie. "Sure Sylvia, one second. Is it in your suitcase?"

"Yes dear, in the back of the storage closet."

Anna jumped off the couch and sped up the stairs. The storage closet was big and almost the size of a regular room, but Sylvia's suitcase was bright orange so it wouldn't be too difficult to find.

Anna jogged down the hall towards Kristoff's room, which was near the storage closet. She took a peek into his room to see if he was there, but it was empty again. She hadn't seen him much at all since he moved in and he rarely spoke to anybody.

"Odd fellow," she muttered to herself as the turned the handle to open the storage closet.

Surprisingly the light was already on, although it was only a dim light shining from one single bulb in the middle of the low hanging ceiling. The storage closet was mostly racks upon racks of old clothing. They consisted of her mother's clothing, and their winter coats and clothes from when they she was younger. A couple new racks were added with the three new house members' winter coats.

Anna narrowed her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. She started to gently move the heavy racks of clothing aside as she made her way deeper into the storage closet. Musty, stale air smelling of dust and textile fabric started to fill her nose.

All at once, the storage lights turned off and Anna heard the door behind her bang shut. Anna gasped and spun around, but all she saw was darkness.

"Hans? Kristoff?"

She was met with silence. Had somebody shut the door on accident?

"Someone's in here! I'm in the storage closet!"

Still no answer.

Anna had no solution but the find her way back to the door and turn on the lights. She blindly put her hands out in front of her and very carefully started walking back towards the door.

When she finally got to the wall she patted it down to search for the light switch. Relieved when her fingers finally felt the small protrusion, she quickly flipped it up, filling the storage full of light again. Then she turned the doorknob.

Anna's entire body went rigid. It was locked.

* * *

Hans was waiting at the end of the hall, one foot already on the step to descend the stairs. He was sure he pressed the lock button on the storage doorknob, but he wanted to see to make sure. When he heard the faint rattling of the locked doorknob, his lips curled into a crooked smile. He made his way downstairs.

"Mother, let's go. The deed's been done."

Sylvia got up from the couch. "Did you make sure Kristoff isn't home to let her out?"

"Yea I checked his room but he's gone. He's never in his room. I think he goes out a lot."

"Do you have the directions to the airport?"

Hans nodded as he grabbed the keys from the coffee table.

"Okay good. Let's go."

* * *

"HELLO?! Somebody please! Let me out! I'm locked in the storage closet!" Anna pounded her fists against the door as hard as she could. Nobody was responding to her, but she was sure they would be able to hear the pounding from downstairs. "HEEEEELP!"

She furiously pounded on the door until she was out of breath and her fists were numb. It had been over ten minutes since she was locked in.

Suddenly Anna felt furious. She kicked the door, which only resulted in a sharp pain that shot up her leg, causing her to fall to the floor.

"Oowwww…" Leaning her back against the door she clutched her leg against her body, rubbing her foot to ease the pain.

Who had locked her in? Did they leave her here? What was the meaning of this?

The reality of the situation suddenly hit her. She was locked in the storage closet with no way out. Elsa was leaving within the hour and she wasn't going to be able to say goodbye.

Feeling utterly frustrated and hopeless, Anna started crying. All of the disappointment from her new, cold family members and her missing Elsa's departure were manifesting in thick tears now streaming down her face. She wept freely, for one was there to see her like this, the racks of coats in front of her muffling the sounds of her weeping.

* * *

"She said she wasn't feeling well and told me to tell you to have a safe flight, and that she'd call you when you arrived."

Elsa looked at Hans confusedly. It was strange that Hans and Sylvia arrived without Anna, but now Hans was telling her that Anna would _call_ her when they both knew the university's contacting policy. "Are you sure? She's at home right now?"

"Yea, she was reading a book or something."

This didn't sound right. Elsa knew Anna wouldn't miss this for anything. It'd be the last time they'd see each other in a long time. Something was wrong.

Elsa looked at her mother, the Mayor of Arendelle, who looked back and shrugged her shoulders. She couldn't provide her with any answers now.

"Elsa dear we'll take care of Anna. Don't you worry she's in good hands," Sylvia piped in. Sylvia pushed Hans forward, implying for him to interact with her more.

"Er, yea I'll take good care of Anna. But what about you Elsa? Are you going to be fine over there? Just…just know…" Hans started to stumble over his words.

_What's he doing? Is he nervous or something?_

"Just know that I'll be thinking a lot about you." He brought his hand to her shoulder. "I hope you have a good flight. Take care of yourself." He started to go in for a hug, but Elsa put up an arm.

"I'm not going to go in yet. I'm going to wait for Anna. I have a feeling she'll show up."

Hans looked at Sylvia worried. Sylvia responded by approaching Elsa and taking her by the shoulders, looking straight into her face. "Sweetheart, Anna is not coming and that I am sure of. To be honest dear, it seemed like she wasn't interested in coming at all. Maybe she's angry that you're leaving her, or maybe she's not that good of a friend after all. Bottom line is that Hans here cared enough about you to ask me to drive him to see you off, and Anna stayed home. It looks like Hans cares about you."

"M~om." Elsa saw Hans poking his mother's arm softly, indicating his embarrassment. He looked down to the floor and then looked off to the side, avoiding eye contact with Elsa.

Was this true? Was Anna angry with her for leaving? Did she do something wrong?

Elsa bit her lip in concern, looking at the revolving doors behind Sylvia. If Anna were to come she'd know where to go, that was for sure. Elsa always used the private entrance at the airport, which led to a sequestered lobby for people to check into their private flights. She'd said her goodbyes to Anna a variety of times here in this lobby when her family would go on annual trips during her summer breaks before her father died.

The bodyguard leaned in beside her and interrupted her racing thoughts. "Miss, your flight leaves very soon. I recommend you start checking in."

Elsa now turned around and looked behind her at the single flight attendant behind the check-in counter, waiting for Elsa.

* * *

Anna's sobs had now turned into sniffles, and she began to wipe her eyes and nose against her sleeve. This was one of the worse days of her life. She hated the smell of this closet and hated that she was stuck in the only room that could be locked from the outside. She hated Hans, Kristoff, and S-

"Can you please stop sniffling, for the love of god?"

Anna shrieked in surprise at the sound of another person in the room. She darted her eyes toward the source of the voice. It came from the back of the storage closet, where she hadn't been yet.

"Who's there?!" Anna demanded, still sniffling.

"Nobody…" it called back.

Anna recognized the voice.

"Kristoff?"

Body weak from her crying fit and her leg still in pain, Anna struggled to pull herself up from the ground. She slowly started making her way towards the back of the closet.

"Kristoff, is that you?"

She heard a sigh.

She pushed the racks of clothing away from her, making a pathway towards the sound. As she neared the back, she saw the top of his blonde head. She pushed the last rack aside and looked down to find Kristoff surrounded by sheets of music. His guitar was next to him and he was sitting cross-legged holding a pencil and an eraser in his hands.

"You ruined my fort," he said, giving Anna a dry look.

She looked around. He had surrounded himself with the racks of clothing, indeed making a sort of barrier.

"What are you doing here? Is…is this where you've been all this time?"

Kristoff dropped his pencil and eraser to the floor. "I come in here so I don't have to deal with you people. And all the stuff that's in here makes the room soundproof, so I can play whenever I want however loudly I want." He started picking up the papers around him and collecting them in his hands. "But I guess my session is over, with you bawling like a baby over there."

Anna wiped away the last remnants of her tears. "Oh, well…the door's locked. We can't get out." She sniffed twice more as she looked at him pick his papers up. "Wait, how come you didn't tell me to stop crying, but to stop sniffing?" She looked at him curiously.

"Oh…" Kristoff looked at the music in his hands. "I don't know, I thought you'd leave sooner or later, but you didn't. And I think the sound of your sniffling is annoying, so…" He trailed off. There was a moment of silence between them, either not knowing what to say. Kristoff picked up the last of the papers, then picked up his guitar and made his way towards the door.

"Wait, it's locked." Anna said, scurrying behind him.

"Well, I don't want to be in here with you and I really need to go the bathroom, so we'll see about that."

When they reached the door, Kristoff put his guitar and sheet music down next to it. Anna watched him unconvincingly as he knelt down in front of the knob so that it was eye level and started to jiggle it gently as if to make sure it was locked. He then proceeded to put his ear up against the wood of the door and knocked lightly to hear its sound.

Anna was getting impatient. "If you're going to try to open the thing, can you make it quick? I've got somewhere I need to be in…twenty minutes ago."

"Ch..yea" Kristoff scoffed. "I could tell by the way you were hammering on the door with your tiny fists. Just calm down will you? "

Anna crossed her arms. She really didn't like his rudeness. "Rude."

Kristoff ignored her as he pressed his ear against the door again, rapping his knuckles against the wood slower this time. After the last knock, he nodded his head in approval.

_What's he up to?_

He stood up and took a step back.

"Hah, you're going to ram your way through the door? Like that's going-"

In one swift motion, Kristoff pulled his foot back and with great force drove it through the middle of the door.

"OOOWWWWW!"

Kristoff was clutching his leg which was jutting out awkwardly through the door. He was balancing himself on one leg, trying to prevent himself from falling down. "Fuck that hurt!"

"Kristoff! Oh my god, are you okay!?" Anna rushed over to his leg but she didn't know how to help him, so she stood there frantically looking around his leg to figure out where to place her hands.

"No, I'm not! The wood was thin and the door was h-hollow, so I knew it'd be easy but I think there's a splinter in my leg."

Before Anna could help, Kristoff started to pull his leg back, resulting in him howling again.

"Kristoff! Stop!"

But he kept pulling it back towards him, eventually freeing his leg. Once it was free he stumbled onto the floor, and Anna rushed beside him and knelt to see damage. She didn't see anything over his pants so she started lifting his pant leg.

"Ow! Stop! God, this is all your fault!" Kristoff brushed away Anna's hands.

"What?! How is this my fault? I wasn't the one that told you to stick your leg through the door. And you said you needed to go the bathroom yourself."

Kristoff didn't say anything as he himself lifted up his pant leg. They both saw that there was indeed some wood stuck in Kristoff's leg, but it was a tiny shrapnel about the size of a coin barely sticking into the surface of his skin.

Anna threw up her arms. "Oh my god Kristoff that's barely a splinter. And I'm the baby? Hmph. You're not even bleeding."

Embarrassed, Kristoff threw his pant leg down and started to get up. "Whatever, now get out of my way. I need to go to the restroom, if you don't mind."

Anna swiftly turned around to get to the door before him. "No, me first."

She carefully placed her arm through the gaping hole in the door to avoid the splinters and turned the knob from the outside, successfully clicking it open and unlocking the doorknob.

She withdrew her arm and without looking back, opened the door and raced down the hallway. She flew down the stairs at a terrifying three steps at a time. She scrambled past the kitchen towards garage door, which she opened to find all the cars gone. All that was left was Kristoff's motorcycle.

Anna hesitated. She didn't have her license yet, nor had she ever driven a motorcycle. She'd ridden a moped before though. It'd be like the same thing, right?

Without giving it a second thought, she yanked Kristoff's keys off from the key hooks, clicked the button on the wall to open the garage door and made her way towards the black motorcycle. She picked up the helmet that was dangling off the handlebar and jammed it onto her head. It was huge and heavy, but it fit tightly enough around her head that it felt secure. She threw her leg over the seat and placed her arms onto the handlebars.

It was uncomfortable and she felt unstable, but there was no other option. She jammed the key into the keyhole and quickly turned it to the right, hoping for some kind of response. The motorcycle revved once but didn't turn on. Anna tried again, this time holding it there for longer when she turned the key to the right. The motorcycle revved again and this time it gave a loud emission of engine, and when Anna let go of the keys the motorcycle maintained a rumbling purr.

_Yes!_

Fortunately the motorcycle was already facing forward to go out of the garage. She twisted the right handle and it jolted forward an inch. Anna's heart was pounding as she gripped the handle tighter, turning her wrists more slowly this time. The vehicle slowly moved forward more gently to Anna's relief, but she heard a sharp scraping noise below her. She looked down and noticed the motorcycle kickstand was still down.

Reaching her leg down, she kicked it with her heel, and it sprang back into its resting position. She was now balancing herself with her own legs. Anna felt incredibly awkward and uncomfortable, but she pressed on.

_Just like a moped, right?_

She reached her fingers out further to grip what looked like the brake handles. She confirmed their function by turning the handle with her wrist, then pulling onto the brake handle with her other hand bringing the bike to a sharp halt.

By now, she was in the middle of the driveway. She was shaking and sweating, but there was no time to hesitate.

_Elsa might be gone already_.

She accelerated slowly and the motorcycle obeyed, rumbling underneath her. She slid out of the driveway and onto the street. At this point Anna was more confident and she slowly increased her acceleration.

_You can do this. The airport is just thirty minutes down that one road. Just take the bike lane. You'll be fine._

Trembling, Anna approached the street leading out onto the main road. She looked to the left to see if any cars were approaching. When the coast was clear, Anna accelerated into the bike lane. There was no going back now.

* * *

"Miss Elsa, I strongly encourage you to board your jet. I'm afraid we cannot hold on for much longer."

Elsa had finished her business with checking in, which was done all in that lobby. Everybody had left for the exception of her trusty bodyguard. Elsa had tricked them into thinking she'd boarded the plane, when all she did was go through the doorway that attached to the jet walkway. When they'd gone, she came back out into the lobby to wait for Anna a bit longer.

She had been pacing back and forth in front of the doorway to the jet walkway for twenty minutes, wringing her hands together in distress. Her anxiety was running high and it was difficult for her to cope.

_Was Anna really not going to come? Was she angry? Sad? Did she have something more important to do?_

"Miss, I'm sorry but we really cannot wait any longer."

She looked up at the bodyguard. It had been almost thirty minutes past her scheduled departure. Heartbroken, Elsa took one last look at the revolving doors, and then headed through the doorway to the jet walkway.

* * *

Anna approached the private entrance to the airport still on the motorcycle. She took the motorcycle onto the ramp of the sidewalk, disregarding any and all regulations and rode the bike straight to the front of the revolving doors. Ignoring the staring doorman, she turned off the engine and brought her leg over the motorcycle to get off. She forgot to put up the kickstand and the bike loudly fell on its side, just missing Anna's feet.

"Oops."

She left the motorcycle on its side and sprinted towards the revolving doors, praying that somehow Elsa would still be there.

Squeezing into the next opening of the revolving doors, she impatiently shuffled right up against the glass in front of her, urging them to move faster.

She burst out of the doors as soon as they released her into the lobby. Her eyes darted back and forth and all around the lobby, searching for one person. Her heart dropped when she didn't see anybody except the single flight attendant behind the front desk, who was now staring at her with an odd look on her face. Anna hurriedly walked towards the front desk, wishing and hoping for the impossible. When she reached the front desk she caught her breath for a few seconds before speaking.

"Did…Elsa….leave…..yet?" Still gasping for air, she struggled to get the words out.

The attendant looked at the girl strangely, lifting an eyebrow. "Yes, she left although she did wait for you for some time. She kept coming in and out from the…"

Anna had stopped listening.

_She's gone. I'm too late._

Anna felt her eyes start to water and she felt pure agony start to wash over her.

"Anna? Is that you?"

Anna spun her head to the left where the doorway leading to the jet walkway was. There she was. Elsa, looking at her with her head tilted to the side looking confused.

"ELSA!"

Anna raced towards Elsa, throwing herself around the girl's dainty frame.

"Oh Elsa…" Anna was tearing up now, overwhelmed by the surging emotions inside of her.

Elsa tightly held her, not saying a word. Then she pulled away and looked at Anna with a puzzled look. "I wasn't sure if it was you, because you were wearing…this?" She lightly knocked on the motorcycle helmet that Anna was still wearing.

"Oh!" Anna had completely forgotten to take off the helmet. No wonder why the attendant had looked at her so strangely. She reached up and with both hands, tried to take the helmet off but it wouldn't budge.

"Haha, I'll help you."

Together, they both pulled upwards to relieve Anna of the helmet. It was clamped on tightly but eventually it popped off. Anna felt ten times lighter. She also felt her face matted with sweat and hair, but she didn't care.

Elsa looked down at her and snickered. "What in the world happened to you?"

As Anna excitedly rambled, Elsa carefully brushed the hair out of Anna's face, coiling the loose strands behind her ears.

"Oh my god Elsa you have no idea. I was stuck in this closet and then he put his leg through it and then I took his bike, and I rode on the bike lane for most of the way here, but that's-"

"Miss Elsa…" The bodyguard poked his head through the doorway. "I'm afraid that I must insist now that we leave. The airport security has contacted me, informing us that there are jets waiting to park in the lot."

Elsa looked back down at Anna, her amused and lit up face now turning somber. "Anna…I've got to go now."

Anna felt her stomach drop. She felt a lump in her throat ball up again.

"I wanted to give this to you before I left."

Anna looked down at Elsa's hand, which was pulling out something shiny from her pocket. They were two necklaces and they were attached. As she brought them up between them, Anna saw that one necklace charm was enclosed in a bigger heart locket. She opened the locket, releasing a smaller silver heart from within it. She unhooked the necklace and started to put it around Anna's neck. Anna lifted up her hair, allowing Elsa to connect the ends of the necklace around her neck.

"Elsa…it's beautiful."

She let her hair down as Elsa pulled her hands away, letting the necklace hang. It glimmered beautifully.

"Let me do yours now."

Anna took the bigger heart locket from Elsa's hands and started to unclasp the ends of the necklace. Elsa also pulled up her hair so Anna could easily clasp the ends together.

"I designed them with the jeweler myself. They're one of a kind."

As Anna clumsily tried to find the clasp to connect the necklace, Elsa's voice vibrating close to her ear sent chills down her body. She was suddenly aware how close they were with her arms wrapped around her neck.

"Sorry, I'm so clumsy. I can't seem to find the thing…"

"I'll help you."

Elsa placed her cool, soft hands over Anna's and together they clasped the ends of the necklace together. They both blushed slightly as the admired the necklaces.

"Elsa they're truly beautiful. I'm keeping it forever."

She grasped the heart pendant tightly between her fingers. Without saying a word the two embraced each other again, this time tighter and for longer. When Anna felt Elsa start to pull away, Anna looked down and found Elsa's hands. She interlocked them within her own. Her hands felt so soft; she'd miss her touch so much. She closed her eyes and rest her forehead against Elsa's. She could hear and feel Elsa's soft breaths. She thought of Elsa's lips. She was overcome with an urge to kiss them. They were right there, so close.

"Miss?" Anna could hear the urgency in the bodyguard's voice. They both opened their eyes.

"It looks like I'll have to let you go," Anna said, with a sad smile. "I'll miss you so much."

She saw Elsa's eyes glistening and couldn't help herself as her eyes started to water again.

"I'll write to you often Elsa, I promise. I-I love you so much." A tear ran down Anna's cheek.

Elsa wiped Anna's cheek clean with her thumb. "I love you too. More than you know."

They embraced one more time, then finally Anna let her go. Elsa made her way towards the doorway and turned around one last time to give Anna a wave. She blew a kiss, which Anna pretended to catch and hold to her heart.

Elsa turned and went through the doorway and the doors closed behind her.

She was gone.


	9. Birthday Cake

Anna was in the hallway with her back to the floor and her feet propped up against the sides of the grandfather clock. She looked down at the pendulum swinging back and forth between her feet.

_Tick, tock, tick, tock._

It had been a month. No, four weeks and three days exactly since Elsa left for university. And Anna hadn't received any letters since.

She felt annoyed at the pendulum. It seemed like it was mocking her, swinging back and forth leisurely without haste, taking its sweet time. She wanted to kick at it through the glass.

She'd write to Elsa first herself but she didn't have her address. She was depending on Elsa to send the first letter.

She had some theories about why she hadn't heard back but they all seemed to change week by week. The first week Anna figured that Elsa was busy with orientation, moving in, and starting up classes. It was understandable.

The second week she was probably busy meeting new people and hanging out with her new dorm friends. They all probably had a lot to talk about, with most of them being from royal and well-off families with many interesting stories.

The third week Anna was feeling more uneasy. Was university difficult for Elsa, too time-consuming that Elsa had no time to write to her? Had Elsa's anxiety problem returned, making her too ill? Was Elsa alright?

The fourth week Anna had become slightly depressed. She didn't know what to think anymore. Did they change the contact policy? Had…she met a new friend? Someone else?

It had been by far one of the loneliest months of her life.

Anna lifted her feet from off the grandfather clock and dropped them to the floor. She turned her head to the side to see Kristoff's room closed at the far end of the hall. He hadn't forgiven her for scratching his motorcycle and now kept his keys in his room. She was reminded of Sylvia's vague answer of why they'd left her at home that day.

"_Dear, we called you from downstairs but you didn't reply. We just assumed you left on your own because we were running late."_

Hans nor Sylvia had any idea about the locked door. Anna made up her mind to keep her distance from both of them. Sylvia gave Anna the chills, and Hans was just a plain douche.

Anna stretched, letting a long whine escape from her as she released some of her pent up energy. She sat up and faced her body towards Kristoff's room. Kristoff was unfriendly and rude, that was for sure. She had tried to be extra kind and social to him in the last few weeks, feeling a bit apologetic about the motorcycle.

"_Can I hear you play something? I really like the sound of the guitar, and if you ever need somebody to harmonize with, I sing a little too._

"_No."_

Yes, it was clear that Kristoff wanted nothing to do with her. But there was something about him that made Anna wonder and want to know more about him.

She gasped, recalling that it was Kristoff's birthday tomorrow. In that moment, she decided to bake him a cake and knit him a gift. She'd always baked her father a cake for his birthday and the same for her mother before she died, so she figured she'd carry on the tradition for the rest of the new family members.

Anna got up and started to walk towards the stairs. She started skipping, her spirits now lifted because she had something to look forward to. She was still upset about not hearing back from Elsa yet, but this momentary distraction should keep her mind off the aching.

* * *

Kristoff grumbled when he heard the storage door creak open. "Don't come in," he said loudly, voicing his annoyance. He was irritated that Anna had figured out his hiding spot.

"I just want to give you something real quick." The racks of clothing muffled her voice, but Kristoff's ears were perceptive enough to pick up what she had said.

As he started to push aside his sheet music so she wouldn't step on them, he heard her set something down on the floor in the distance. She started to clear the racks that Kristoff had formed around himself. "Isn't it annoying to have to set these up every time-_oomph_-you come in here?" Her grunting made it apparent she was having trouble moving aside a rack, probably one with heavy winter coats.

Kristoff didn't say anything as he set aside the rest of the scattered papers. He saw Anna's shoes in the corner of his eyes as she finally broke the last barrier.

"What now?" Kristoff sat against the back wall and crossed his arms. He looked at Anna and cocked his eyebrow.

"I'll tell you if you play something for me. You know I haven't heard you play since you moved in."

"No."

Why did she always want to hear him play? What was her agenda? Did she want to compare how he sounded to other people? Did she want to make fun of him? Kristoff was bothered by her persistence. "Just hurry up so I can get on with my life please."

Anna huffed and blew her bangs out of her eyes. "Fine." She turned around and started to head back towards the entrance, probably to retrieve what she had left behind earlier.

Kristoff peered down the pathway that Anna had cleared, seeing what she was up to. He saw her bend down to pick something up, and when she started to turn around Kristoff quickly turned his gaze away, looking down at the stack of sheet music next to him. He didn't look up until she was in front of him.

"I won't bother you for long, I just wanted to drop these off."

Kristoff looked up to see Anna carrying a tray. On it was what appeared to be a medium sized cake covered with chocolate frosting with sprinkles on it. Besides it was some kind of lump of wool. She set down the tray in front of Kristoff's feet. "I knitted this last night." She picked up the wool lump and started to spread it out, revealing that I was a scarf. "I know it's not that great and you've probably gotten better presents than this, but the weather is getting cold now and I thought you could use a scarf." She took the scarf and started to make her way towards Kristoff. He froze.

"And if you're going to be spending most of your time in here, you'll need something like this anyways. There's no heater in here."

She started to wrap the wool scarf around Kristoff's collar. He sat rigid, not knowing what to do. She twisted the scarf around his neck, and then proceeded to tie it in the front, making a loose knot.

"There, perfect."

Kristoff looked at her with his eyes wide open, unable to move or speak. Anna looked at him slightly disappointed, not receiving the reaction she was hoping for.

"Um, oh! I also baked this cake for you. I wasn't sure what flavor you liked so I just made you chocolate, which is my specialty. If you don't like it…I guess, you can just leave it in front of my door or something, and I'll make you a new one…vanilla perhaps or….*_ahem*_."

Kristoff stared down at the the cake before him.

Anna didn't know how to react to his silence, so she started backing up towards the pathway behind her. "Uhh….yea so. Happy Birthday Kristoff. Hope you like the cake, and the scarf." She turned around and started to make her way down the small aisle between the racks.

"Oh!" She abruptly turned around and started to re-arrange the racks so that they again closed around Kristoff, re-forming his soundproof fort. "Heh, I almost forgot, sorry."

The sounds of Anna's footsteps and her fumbling with the racks grew more muffled as she slowly made her way backwards toward the door. Finally, Kristoff heard the door close gently. After a few seconds, he started breathing again. He looked down at the cake, which had much too many sprinkles on it.

_My own cake?_

He looked down at the scarf and reached his hand up to feel the texture. It was soft. He took a bigger handful of it and held onto it, taking in its billowy goodness. He brought the handful of wool up to his nose and took a whiff. It smelled like wool with a hint of Anna. He looked down at his cake again. In green gel, it was scribbled with a neat "Happy Birthday Kristoff."

For a minute, Kristoff remained emotionless, his head stirring with thoughts. He had never had his own cake before. He'd actually forgotten it was his birthday today, because nobody had ever made a big deal about it before. Nobody ever remembered his birthday, not even Hans or his mother. This scarf was the first present he'd ever gotten in his life.

He suddenly heard himself sniff. He was surprised to find a tear was streaming down his face. He quickly wiped it off with his sleeve, only to have more tears fall from his eyes. Wanting to distract himself, he quickly took the knife that was resting beside the cake. He quickly cut out a messy slice and placed it on the small plate next to the cake. He dug the small fork that was next to the knife into the piece and shoved it into his mouth. It was the most delicious thing he'd ever tasted.

But he couldn't stop crying. Why couldn't he stop crying? He shoved another big piece into his mouth, but a sob escaped and he dropped his fork on the tray. He buried his face into the scarf, and wept.


	10. Puppy Love

Hans was resting on his bed, lying on his stomach with four sheets of paper in front of him. He picked up another chocolate from the small four-pack besides him and popped it into his mouth.

He started reading the newest letter. They were getting shorter.

"_Hi Hans, thanks for writing back_."

Hans punched the air in victory. _Yes_. She had _finally _written back to _him, _and not to Anna. The past few letters were all addressed to Anna even though it was only Hans who had written back. Upon hearing about the contacting policy for The Royal Academy, Sylvia made sure to check the mail everyday to intercept it. He read on.

_"Glad to hear you're doing well. I hope you do well on your upcoming finals. And thanks for updating me on Anna. So, she's been really busy? I suppose I remember junior being busier than sophomore year. Has she been enjoying the chocolates I've been sending her?"_

_Yes, I have._

He popped another into his mouth while scanning the rest of the letter. He rolled his eyes, seeing that it was mostly about Anna. He got up, gathered up the letters and headed to his mother's room.

He lightly knocked on his mother's door. Whenever he was to write a letter back to Elsa, he was to inform his mother and do it with her guidance.

"Yes, who is it?"

He spoke in a low voice, just in case. "Mother it's me Hans. I'm preparing to write another letter to Elsa"

"Come in."

He quietly opened the door and slid through the narrow opening he made for himself and promptly closed the door behind him. His mother was in the middle of her skin care routine, now applying a heavy white cream to her face.

"I have good news. This time she addressed the letter to me," Hans said with some hopeful buoyancy. He sat himself down on the ottoman to the left of his mother's makeup desk.

"Really? That's good. We're making progress. Why don't you read it aloud to me while I'm doing this." She hadn't looked at him yet. She was busy pasting the thick cream against her facial skin.

After Hans had read her the letter, she sneered. "It's still all about Anna."

He shifted uncomfortably on the ottoman. "Well, she did wish me luck on my finals, that's something at least, right?"

His mother paused, and it looked like she was going to say something abrasive. Hans braced himself. She then exhaled slowly and continued applying the heavy cream. "Perhaps. I suppose it will be a painfully slow process. But at least it looks like we're getting somewhere. " She finally peered at Hans's reflection in her mirror with the corner of her eye.

"But mother, don't you think that Elsa will be more disappointed than anything else when she sees the letters are from me and not from Anna?" Hans looked at his mother, concerned.

His mother looked back to herself in the mirror. "Well, yes…initially of course she'll be disappointed. She'll be ve~ry upset. But it's not you that she'll be upset with. It's going to be Anna she'll be feeling resentful towards." She scooped up another glop of cream.

"And when all that resentment and disappointment builds up over time towards one person, who knows what that'll do to a relationship." She raised an eyebrow, a slight smirk forming on her lips.

Hans looked at his mother in awe. "Mom you're absolutely right. How do you know so much about all this stuff?"

Sylvia chuckled, finally screwing the lid to close her heavy cream container. "It's a skill dear. How do you think I'm an actress? Drama is my specialty."

* * *

Kristoff was squatting outside in front of the high school entrance, keeping dry from the rain under the extended roof. He had two umbrellas in his hands and was waiting for the bells to signal the end of the day. He looked down at his new scarf and nuzzled his chin and lips into the soft wool.

He looked down on the wet ground and saw a fat snail sluggishly making it's way across the top step. He poked at it with the tip of one umbrella, making it suck into its shell in panic.

Kristoff was startled when he heard the bells finally ring.

He kept on looking at the snail to avoid making eye contact with any other students. They started pouring out onto the steps and the sound of yelling, rain pattering, and umbrellas opening filled the hair.

"Kristoff! What are you doing out here?" He looked up from the snail to see his brother Hans looking down at him. Kristoff didn't say anything back.

"Don't you usually leave and take the bus?" Hans's eyes trailed down to see what Kristoff was holding.

"Aww brother, you shouldn't have! I didn't know it was going to rain today, thanks man." He took an umbrella from Kristoff. Slightly taken back, Kristoff got up from his squat. "Oh uh…that…"

But before Kristoff could get a sentence out, Hans had opened the umbrella and started to make his way down the steps. He turned around.

"Aren't you coming?" He cried to Kristoff, tilting his head.

"N…no I'll see you at home. I've got something to do."

"Alright, suit yourself." Hans turned back around and started to walk home.

_Crap._

Kristoff looked down at his one umbrella. He moved over to the side of the steps now that more students were trying to fit under the overhead roof outside. He then saw a flash of orange and auburn hair. His heart skipped a beat.

Anna was making her way towards the front of the steps, carefully maneuvering her way around the students. Her hands were wrapped around her arms, and it was clear she hadn't brought neither a coat nor an umbrella today.

Kristoff quickly opened the umbrella and started to make his way towards her, but his large frame caused him to bump into some people.

"Ow watch it!"

Kristoff ignored the student, his eyes fixated on the back of her head. Right as Anna was about to step into the rain, Kristoff whipped the umbrella over her.

Startled, Anna looked up to see what was causing the dark shadow. She turned her head to see who was connected to the umbrella over her.

"Kristoff?" Her mouth was slightly gaped open in surprise. "What…are you doing here?"

He looked at her, but then quickly turned away not being able to handle her gaze. He thrust the umbrella in front of her hands, demanding her to take it.

"Oh…gosh...thanks. I really wasn't anticipating the rain today." Once she took the umbrella from his hand, he promptly made his way out towards the rain. She quickly caught his arm before he could make it any further. "Wait…what are you doing? We have to use it together, or else you'll get wet." He looked at her delicate hand on his arm, then looked up at her face, seeing she was concerned.

Without saying anything, Kristoff brusquely pulled his arm away from Anna and continued heading down the stairs into the rain.

"Wait…Kristoff!" He heard her following him and then momentarily felt his body sheltered from the rain as he saw the tip of the umbrella over his head.

"What are you doing? We have to use it together or else you'll get all wet!"

He picked up his pace to a light jog.

"Kristoff…wait!"

He heard her feet pattering close behind him, struggling to keep up. Her hand caught his arm again, bringing them both to a halt.

"Kristoff you're going to get soaked!"

Kristoff broke into a run. He couldn't handle her or the intensity of his emotions right now. She looked beautiful even in the rain.

"What the heck!?"

He heard Anna's feet behind him struggling keep up with, but as he gained distance and speed, eventually the only thing he heard was the pounding of his own feet on the wet pavement and his rapidly beating heart.


	11. Lunch Date

Anna lifted her lunch tray towards the lunch lady to receive the final entrée. "Corned beef hash," the lunch lady mumbled as she lazily slopped the small mass of foodstuff onto Anna's plate.

"Thank you," Anna said politely, but once she turned around she scrunched up her nose at the smell.

She looked around the lunchroom and saw her table in the far corner, unoccupied as usual. She maneuvered her way around students and sat down at her spot, carefully setting the tray down. She unslung her messenger bag from over her head and pulled out the current book she was reading. Settling herself on the hard plastic seat, she opened her book and scanned it for a while to find where she had last left off. She then picked up her fork and poked at the corned beef hash, preparing herself for the worst.

Just as she was about to take a small bite, she suddenly heard a tray clatter onto her table and a body slump onto the seat across from hers. Startled, she looked up to see Kristoff setting his messenger bag down on the table. He glanced up at her briefly, but didn't acknowledge her in any other way.

"Oh...hey Kristoff, how are you doing?" She was surprised that Kristoff had joined her. Anna wasn't used to eating with anybody during lunchtime. Did he need something?

Kristoff didn't reply. He had already begun eating, busily forking the corned beef hash into his mouth. Anna gaped at him chowing down the beef. It seemed like he was eating it without even tasting it, just shoving everything on his plate down his throat.

"How does that taste? I haven't tried it yet, looks interesting though." Anna gave an awkward chuckle, hoping for a response. Kristoff glanced up at her un-amused, chewing a large mouthful. He didn't reply as he reached over to drink his water.

Anna looked down at her tray and decided to start eating the cup of diced peaches they had provided as a dessert.

_What is he doing here? Is he not going to talk to me the whole time? What should I say?_

Anna looked up at him once more, and then quickly looked down back at her peaches.

_Is he going to start sitting with me_? _Will I finally have someone to sit with?_

The thought of having a friend to sit with during lunch was enough for Anna's mouth to curl into a small, excited smile. She supposed that even though he didn't talk to her, she wouldn't have to sit at the table alone anymore. Still smiling to herself, she bravely dug her fork into the corned beef hash and gave it a taste.

_Ugh! Horrible!_

She looked up at Kristoff, who had already finished his share.

"Here, you can have mine. I'm not a fan." She pushed her tray towards Kristoff, offering her hash.

Mouth still full, Kristoff turned his eyes to the tray, then up at Anna. He took his fork and a finger of his other hand and lifted the clump off of Anna's tray and dropped it onto his own. He continued eating, shoving a forkful of her portion into his mouth.

Anna pulled the tray back to herself. Feeling giddy, she started to swing her legs back and forth under the table. She dug her fork into the collection of peaches and started to eat them. She tried to begin reading her book, but today she couldn't bring herself to concentrate on even one sentence. She was too excited.

For once, she had somebody to eat lunch with.

* * *

The following day during lunchtime, Anna moved down the cafeteria line wondering if Kristoff would be joining her again.

"Thank you," she said to the lunch lady, who had just slopped a watery serving of spaghetti onto her tray.

She made her way to her table set her belongings down. She scanned the lunchroom for any signs of Kristoff, but he was nowhere to be seen.

_Maybe it was just a random, one time thing?_

She looked at the spaghetti and decided she was going to eat it today. It didn't look or smell as bad as yesterday's mystery meat. As she flipped her book to the last page she left off at, she took one more peek at the lunch line. She didn't see him.

_Wait._

There he was, at the very end of the line getting a tray from the stack. She could tell it was him. He was wearing the scarf she had knitted for him.

_Will he sit at my table again today?_

Anna eagerly watched him as he steadily made his way through the cafeteria line, receiving his individual sides. When he received the spaghetti, Anna shot her head down and pretended to be intrigued by the book she had in her hand.

She was slurping up a noodle when she felt Kristoff near the table. She gave a silent, internal cheer as he set down his tray on the opposite side of the table.

"Hey, glad to have you back," Anna said, trying not to sound too eager.

"Hmm," Kristoff murmured.

Anna avoided creating too much dialogue so she wouldn't annoy him away. She swirled up some more noodles onto her fork and slurped them into her mouth.

They ate in silence for a while, appreciating the upgraded quality of their lunches compared to yesterday.

"What book are you reading?"

Anna looked up in surprise. "Oh! Umm…it's nothing too great. About some far off place, some daring swordfights, magic spells, and a prince in disguise. You know…"

"Mmm."

Anna looked back into her book, although she wasn't reading it. After a few moments, she decided to continue the conversation.

"So, how's the scarf? It fits nicely on you," she said as she nibbled into her garlic bread.

Kristoff stayed silent for a moment, ripping off a piece of his garlic bread and sopping up some tomato sauce. "It keeps my neck warm. And it's soft."

Anna was appreciative for the feedback, and the communication in general.

"Good, I'm glad."

She didn't want to talk too much, which she had a habit of doing sometimes. She especially had to be careful around Kristoff because he seemed like someone who didn't like to talk that much at all.

"Thanks," Anna heard Kristoff say quietly.

She was ecstatic.

"You're welcome! It was my pleasure. I wasn't sure what color at first, so I was going to ask you but that might've been suspicious right before your birthday, so I just chose a neutral color that matches with everything. White seemed like-"

She stopped herself. She was rambling.

"-a good option." She finished her sentence and quickly started to eat her spaghetti again.

They spent the rest of lunchtime in silence.

Days went by and Anna was thrilled to have Kristoff sit with her, finally having a friend to talk to. He didn't talk much and he was very blunt with his words, but as the days passed by he mumbled a little more each day. The days turned into weeks, and Anna was delighted that Kristoff began to speak and banter with her very much like how an older brother might speak to a younger sister.

* * *

He was deeply in love with her. He wanted her, more than anything.

Kristoff was looking down at his tray, thinking about nothing but the adorably cute girl across from him. His tray was almost empty; he had already eaten most of his food. He looked up at Anna to see how far she'd gotten with her lunch.

He chuckled when he saw her accidentally drop a pear cube into her lap as she was bringing her spoon up from her mixed fruit cup.

"Yea yea, like you haven't ever dropped any food before," Anna responded as she reached down to retrieve the fruit.

"Geez you're so clumsy, dribbling stuff from your fruit cup," Kristoff said as he opened his own mixed fruit cup.

"It was an accident, gosh." She found the piece and threw it at Kristoff. She laughed at him when it hit him on the chest.

"Hey! Don't make me…" Kristoff lifted his fruit cup and moved it toward Anna, threatening her with it.

"Oh, yea? I'll do it…I will," Anna playfully threatened back as she lifted her whole tray, which still had a lot of food on it left.

Kristoff chuckled and leaned back. "Haha alright alright you win." He took the fruit cup in his hand and threw his head back, dumping the last of its contents into his mouth.

Anna continued eating while Kristoff took his napkin to clean off some of the syrup on the table that had escaped the fruit cup. He lowered his face, but his eyes peered up at Anna. She was so cute when she ate, taking small bites here and some nibbles there. Kristoff was glad that she had stopped bringing out her book. He had gotten more comfortable around her, and they were like friends now. But he wanted more.

"Are you done? I'm going to put away my tray," Kristoff asked as he rose up from the seat.

"Not yet," Anna replied just before she took a bite of her bread.

"K." Kristoff got up and made his way toward the cafeteria window where students put away their dirty trays. After doing so, he decided to take a quick trip to the bathroom.

Now in the empty hall, Kristoff stuck his hands into his pockets as he walked towards the restroom. _Was this love?_ He felt like he was floating on clouds. Anna had been the first person to ever show such kindness to him. She'd refuted his strong belief that every human was selfish. Well, perhaps every human _was_ selfish; everyone except for Anna.

He found the bathroom and quickly finished his business, eager to return to her. After hurriedly washing his hands, he exited the bathroom and made his way back towards the cafeteria.

Did she feel the same way about him? It seemed like she liked him, although Kristoff wasn't sure she _liked _him. But who would bake somebody a cake and knit somebody a scarf on his or her birthday if there wasn't at least some interest, right? No girl had ever done that for Kristoff before. He assured himself further, reminding himself that he had a good sense of reading people.

With a bit of hope from his thoughts, he entered through the cafeteria doors. On the far side of the cafeteria where their table was, he saw Anna getting up from the table with her tray.

_She's probably done eating._

Kristoff started making his way towards her while keeping his gaze on her. Suddenly, he stopped short. A guy was fooling around while wrestling with his friend, and suddenly they both unintentionally rammed hard against Anna. She fell to the floor, her tray and utensils scattering everywhere.

"HEY! WATCH IT," Kristoff loudly roared.

All heads whipped towards him and the whole cafeteria fell silent. Kristoff momentarily had forgotten he was amidst hundreds of students, and his quick surge of fury had overtaken him. He saw Anna staring at him still from the ground across the cafeteria, her round eyes full of bewilderment.

Kristoff stood there, widely embarrassed. He saw the two wrestling guys start to help Anna, one helping her up and the other picking up her tray and utensils. Unable to handle all the staring eyes, Kristoff turned around and stomped out of the cafeteria.

Later that day after school, Kristoff had shut himself in the storage closet to try to forget about today's embarrassing incident. He was quietly strumming his guitar when he heard her voice through the hole in the door.

"Yoohoo! Kristoff! I made some cookies!"

Without waiting for a reply, Anna opened the door and made her way through the racks of coats. She made it to him much faster these days. Kristoff had been too lazy to set up all the coats around him, settling for only a few.

He started to smell the cookies as Anna got through the last row of coats. "Mmmm smells good. What kind?" he asked as he set down his guitar.

"Just chocolate chip," she said as she put down the small plate next to him. "Enjoy." Anna turned around to leave, but Kristoff quickly reached up and caught her hand.

"Wait, eat them with me. Just…why don't you hang out for a bit?" Kristoff was nervous about her reaction. She started rubbing the back of her neck with her other hand.

"Really? You won't mind?" She hesitantly looked at Kristoff.

"Yea, I won't mind. I'll finally let you hear me sing. You can study or something."

Anna gave a big smile, and he relaxed a bit.

"Sure, I'll go bring my math stuff. Hold on."

Kristoff released his breath as he watched her not walk, but skip back to get her things. He couldn't help but smile. Excited, he sifted through his sheet music and found a popular love song."_Can't help falling in love with you" by Elvis. Perfect._ He started practicing strumming the chords when he heard Anna head back in.

"That was quick," Kristoff said without looking up from his chords.

"I skipped down the hall. I think my skipping is faster than my running." She dropped the math book and her notebook to the floor and laid down on her stomach. While she got started on her homework, Kristoff strummed the chords, humming quietly.

For around ten minutes they sat in silence, one quietly doing homework and the other strumming chords. Then, Kristoff started singing.

"_Wise, men…s~ay. Only fools, rush….in._" He sung it the best he could in order to impress Anna.

"_But I, can't…help. Falling in love, with you~._" He glanced up at Anna, who was resting her chin on her arm still looking down into her textbook, swinging her legs back and forth in the air.

"Sh-" Kristoff started the next stanza, but Anna took over.

"_Sh~all, I…stay? Would it be…a~sin?_" Thrilled, Kristoff continued to play the chords, letting her take over the stanza. She was still looking into her textbook, writing down problems while singing. Her voice was angelic, and her vibrato soft and sweet.

They both sung the last line of the stanza.

_"But I~can't, help. Falling in love…with, you."_

Kristoff sang the rest of the song, while Anna harmonized. He occasionally glanced down at his guitar to make sure his chords were right, but for most of the time he was looking at Anna. He couldn't be more ecstatic.

"~_Take my hand, take my whole life too. For I can't help falling in love with you_~"

Anna made it seem like singing like that was easy, still working on problems as she sang beautifully and effortlessly. She looked up at Kristoff once the song ended.

"That was cool and am~azing!" She held the "a" in vibrato playfully. "You're not that bad at singing. I'm better though." She giggled and looked back down at her textbook.

Kristoff couldn't muster up any words to say. He was speechless. The duet had been the most magical musical experience he'd ever had. He remembered back to when he had first talked to Anna, when she'd been stuck and crying in the closet. He hadn't told her to stop crying then, because even her crying voice had been like honey to his ears. He looked down at his guitar and started strumming the song chords over again, not wanting to let the song or moment go just yet.

He was more in love with her than ever. He was sure that she felt the same way. She brought him cookies _and_ sang a love song duet together. Kristoff's heart was beating faster as his thoughts came to him.

_Does she like me? She must like me too._

"So why'd you make the cookies?" Kristoff asked, masking his raging curiosity with a nonchalant tone.

"Oh, it's my teacher's birthday tomorrow," she answered without looking up.

"Oh, cool." Kristoff's heart sunk a little, but not much. She was still thoughtful to have saved a plate for him.

_I think she likes me too. Why else would she be hanging out with me?_

He stopped playing. He picked up a warm cookie and bit into it.

He beamed. It tasted like heaven.


	12. Holding Hands

The bell rang to signal the end of the day.

_Finally._

The last subject, math, was always the most difficult and boring for Anna. She was always impatient for the bell to ring.

She picked up her bag, slung it over her shoulder and made her way to the front of the school.

As she stepped out onto the entryway of the school, she saw Kristoff waiting for her as usual at the bottom of the steps. A warm feeling washed over her. She loved having a brother like Kristoff, regardless of if he liked to tease and be harshly blunt with her. He was like a blanket to throw herself into after a long day at school.

She carefully tiptoed behind him, mindful not to make any noises.

"Boo!" She grabbed him by the shoulders, but to her disappointed he remained calm and stoic as he turned around, unmoved by her attempt.

"Nice try. Not" He gave her a slight shove.

"Hmph, whatever you emotionless rock." A bit annoyed, started to walk home. She heard him follow, catching up to be beside her.

"So how was your day? Anything new?" Anna asked.

"Uhh…no. You?" He was looking at the ground. He seemed to be thinking about something.

"Uhh, well it was my teacher's birthday. We ate my cookies and he opened some gifts from a couple students. Somebody got him a set of shot glasses, can you believe that?" Anna looked to Kristoff to see his reaction.

Kristoff was still looking at the floor. _Was he even paying attention?_

"Helloo~~" Anna waved her hand in front of his eyes, breaking his gaze from the ground. Startled, he looked up.

"Oh…sorry." He quickly looked away from Anna and started looking straight ahead. A little too straight ahead. He looked rigid.

_Nobody always looks straight ahead when they walk._

"Is everything okay?" Anna looked at him curiously.

"Yea, everything's fine."

_This is strange. He seems…nervous almost. Maybe something happened and he just doesn't want to talk about it._

Anna made up her mind not to ask, keeping in mind that Kristoff was a man of little words and when he didn't want to talk, she should remember not to push him.

They walked in silence for a while, Anna glancing occasionally at Kristoff to see if he was alright.

Then it happened.

In the corner of her eye, she saw Kristoff reach his hand over and she felt it grab hers. He wrapped his fingers around her hand, and held it there securely.

An awful and uncomfortable sensation washed over Anna. Shocked, she quickly pulled her hand away.

"Kristoff…what are you doing?" She gawked at him with an incredulous look.

_Was he trying to hold my hand?!_

Kristoff's face was full of hurt and shock. "I...er..I thought…but…" Kristoff was stumbling over his words. He was clearly panicking and agitated.

Anna didn't know what to do. "But…Kristoff. We're siblings. You….you're my brother." Anna heard her voice starting to shake. She was getting overwhelmed by the intensely awkward situation at hand.

_Everything was going so well. We were getting along fine…why!?_

Kristoff stood silent, his body tense and his eyes glued to the floor. The silence was excruciating and uncomfortable. Anna wished she could run away or turn back the clock.

Suddenly, he spoke with unexpected vigor. "Then why'd you do all that stuff? Why'd you bake me that cake!? What about the scarf? How come you're doing all these nice things for me?! What am I supposed to think? And we're _not_ siblings…not really! We're not related!"

His heated tone and fiery eyes were frightening Anna. She stood there speechless, not knowing what to say. She had no idea.

Her heart dropped to the floor when she thought she saw his eyes start to water. But before she could tell, he started to walk home again, storming at a fast pace ahead of her.

Slightly trembling, Anna watched him go, unable to fully comprehend what had just happened.

_Why!? Everything was going so well…_

The next day, Anna had been sitting at the lunch table for more than 15 minutes. Alone. She was desperately looking for Kristoff, but he was nowhere to be found. She sighed and buried her face into her hands.

_Why did this have to happen? Just when things were getting comfortable and nice…_

She peered down at her tray from under her hands. It was Friday. Pizza day. The best lunch day. But she wasn't hungry. She didn't have an appetite.

She pushed the tray away from her and scanned the lunchroom again, even though she knew he wouldn't be showing up today. She felt dreadfully alone, painfully aware of her isolated self in the corner of the cafeteria. She missed Kristoff.

She didn't even have her book with her because she didn't need it anymore these days, now with Kristoff to talk to and interact with during lunch. She crossed her arms on top of the table and buried her head into them. Maybe she could nap until lunch was over.

But she found this that didn't help one bit. She found herself focusing more on her whirring thoughts.

Had she led him on? She had no idea that he felt this way about her. But she bought or made gifts and baked a cake for all the people she cared about for their birthdays, including her parents and Elsa.

_Elsa._

Her eyes began to water and the ache in her heart became even more raw. She felt absolutely miserable, and she missed Elsa so much. Why hadn't she written to her yet? Was she too busy for her?

Anna felt hot tears glide from her eyes onto her cheeks. She wanted nothing more than to be in Elsa's arms right now. She wanted to hear her voice. She'd never felt this alone.

The next day Anna had gone out for an early morning run. She hadn't slept well and had a lot of anxious energy she needed to expel. She hadn't seen Kristoff since that awkward encounter and she was somewhat glad she didn't. She still felt very uncomfortable about what happened, and although she had been practicing some things to say to him, she was still nervous.

Sweat glistening down her face, Anna hopped up the stairs to prepare herself for a hot shower. She felt better from the endorphins and started to hum along to the mp3 player that was blasting music into her earphones as she walked down the hallway to her room.

She closed her door behind her and looked down at her mp3. She paused the music and pulled out her earphones, turning her head slightly to loosen them. Her eyes fell onto her desk, and she immediately stiffened.

There, lying flat on her desk, was a single envelope. It wasn't there this morning because she'd tied her hair up in a ponytail at her desk before her run.

_Elsa?_

Her heart leaped out of her chest.

_Finally!?_

She threw her mp3 player onto the bed and scrambled her way to her desk. She lifted up the envelope, but her heart sunk a bit when she didn't see any postage.

_Maybe…still?_

Her heart rapidly beating, she tore open the side of the envelope and tilted it to the side, letting the single paper inside to slide out. She grabbed it and quickly folded it open.

She felt like a brick hit her in the stomach when she saw that it wasn't Elsa's small and neat writing.

_Anna,_

_I know there's something between us, whether you see it yet or not. I can feel it. It's real._

_I have a music audition for university today at Galton Conservatory of Music at 11am sharp. I left my guitar in your room. If you show up at 11am today with my guitar, then it means you truly care about me and have feelings for me. If you decide not to show up, then the message will be clear. I won't bother you again._

_You should have some time to make your decision. I hope to see you soon._

_Love,_

_Kristoff_

Anna re-read the letter again. Then once again. She couldn't believe what she was reading. She'd heard of Galton Conservatory of Music. It was one of the best music universities in the region. She looked down at the clock sitting in the corner of her desk.

_10:34am._

It was a thirty minute walk to Galton. Anna suddenly felt a heaviness overwhelm her. Kristoff wasn't that warm blanket anymore. He was a thick, heavy, thirty-pound comforter on a hot summer day. She dropped down into her chair.

She couldn't believe she had to make such a big decision in such a short amount of time. She looked behind her and saw that Kristoff had indeed left his guitar case sitting by her door. She'd totally missed it when she came in.

She placed her hands by her temples, unable to make a decision. There was no time and too much pressure.

_What should I do?_


	13. The Audition

Kristoff sat on the front steps of Galton Conservatory, leaned over and gripping his stomach. He was overwhelmed with nerves, not only because of his big audition.

_Did I do the right thing? Am I being too…emotionally manipulative? Maybe I'm more like my mother after all…_

No. He had to know. Actions spoke louder than words. If he asked Anna directly, she probably would've given a vague answer. This was the only way Kristoff would know for sure.

He sat up straight and took a deep breath to try to calm his nerves. He looked to the left toward the street but saw no one coming. The bus stop was right in front of Galton at the left, so this would be where she'd be dropped off.

_What if she never got the letter yet? What if she hadn't even come home yet?_

Kristoff leaned down and gripped his stomach again. He felt like the butterflies each had a little machine gun were nailing their little bullets into his stomach lining.

He brought his wrist up to look at the time. _11:04am._

Anna hadn't been on the last bus that stopped in front of Galton. The next one was supposed to be here in one minute. If she wasn't on that one, then he knew she wasn't coming.

His heart skipped a beat as he heard a deep rumbling engine in the distance to his left. Knowing it was the bus, he stood up in anticipation, cracking his knuckles to ease some tension. As the bus came to a stop, Kristoff kept on pressing against his knuckles although they had all already cracked. He anxiously watched as people started to unload the bus.

One person stepped off.

Then a second.

Then, everything was still.

He took a few steps toward the bus to get a better look through the windows. He saw nobody else standing up. He pressed against his knuckles harder, preparing for the worst.

Kristoff's hopes shattered as the doors creaked closed and the bus rumbled loudly to depart the stop. As it pulled away, Kristoff turned around and slumped down onto the last step in front of Galton, and buried his face into his hands.

He was devastated.

_You were wrong. You were wrong. You idiot…you stupid stupid idiot._

He decided to sit for a while and wallow in his self-pity. He didn't want to go home. He had nowhere to go.

Head still buried deep in his hands, he started to hear the faint sound of running footsteps on the sidewalk to his right. _Somebody's probably late for their audition._ His heart sunk deeper as he realized he was also going to miss his audition.

"Kristoff!"

Kristoff whipped his head to the right and saw Anna running towards him with his guitar in her hands. "Anna!" He shot up from the ground. He had never felt such joy in his entire life.

_She likes me!_

As he ran towards her, he noticed that she was desperately out of breath and the guitar case looked awfully heavy as she was struggling to hold it as she ran. As soon as Kristoff reached her, she practically lunged the guitar case up at Kristoff. He caught it, but set it down to make sure Anna was alright. Her hands were on her knees and she was slouched over, breathing heavily in and out and gasping for air.

"Anna I knew you'd come. I knew it!" He reached over to rub her on the back "Shoot, are you okay? Do you want some water? I thought you'd take the bus!"

She didn't look up at him, fatigued and exhausted from the long sprint over. She was still heavily panting when she brought up her hand and weakly waved toward the Galton building, implying for Kristoff to go inside.

"….hurry...audition…go…." She heaved between her breaths.

_The audition._

"Oh crap. The audition…right. I'll be _right _out Anna. Just wait for me 15 minutes. I'll be _right _out."

He grabbed his guitar case and sprinted up the stairs two at a time. He had boundless energy and he now had the confidence that he'd do great in his audition, regardless of if he were a little late or not. Before going through the doors, Kristoff looked back once more at Anna, who was still hunched over on her knees. He beamed.

_She likes me._

* * *

Anna looked up at the menu behind the cashier, scanning her eyes down the drink choices. "I'll take a…small green tea latte please." She looked over to Kristoff, who was looking up at the menu.

"I'll just take a latte, medium." He pulled out his card.

"I'll go find us a spot," Anna said to Kristoff. He nodded as he handed his card over the cashier.

She turned around and walked over to the sitting area. The Galton Café thankfully wasn't that packed. She picked a sunny spot over by the window and sat down.

Turning her head, she saw Kristoff now waiting by where they distributed the finished drinks, his guitar case strung over his back. She was relieved Kristoff had been able to audition despite being late. He said that it went well. But she still couldn't help but feel heavily burdened with their situation at the moment.

_What am I supposed to do?_

Looking out the window, Anna saw a group of students walk by with instrument cases dangling from their backs. Cars were whizzing by on the street beyond it.

_What am I supposed to do?_

She hadn't wanted Kristoff to miss his big audition, at Galton Conservatory no less. She also didn't want to give him the wrong idea; she didn't like him in that way. But the thought of spending her lunches alone again made her insides churn. She'd have to make it clear somehow.

"Here we are."

Anna turned her head to find Kristoff carefully setting down her green tea latte in front of her and his latte in front of his seat. He sat down and looked at Ana, and hesitated a bit before he started speaking. "So…I just wanted to say thanks. It means a lot that you did that. Um, I'm really sorry you had to run. I thought you'd take the bus. I…" he trailed off. He seemed apologetic and looked a bit guilty, looking down and wrapping his hands around the latte mug.

Anna looked down at her green tea latte, which had a nice little white froth leaf floating atop the liquid. She took a deep breath. "Kristoff, look I-"

"Wait-" Kristoff stopped her, looking up from his coffee. He looked like he knew what she was going to say. "I...er, I know I put you in a really tough position, and I realize and I feel really bad about that. It was a spontaneous decision I made that I didn't really think through." He took a small sip of his coffee and then looked out the window. "I guess, just the fact that you did that for me today means a lot. You don't have to feel a certain way about me just yet I suppose. I…I don't-"

Anna cut in. "I like hanging around with you Kristoff. I don't want that to stop. I missed you at lunch the other day, and it sucks not having you around," she took another big breath, "but I'm also not looking for anything…serious, or...complicated at the moment." Anna looked down and quickly brought the latte up to her mouth. She didn't want to totally knock him down like she did the other day. It made her cringe, the way she had yanked her hand away, and the look on his face, like she'd slapped him or something. She regretted it; she could've been softer and kinder. She didn't want him to run away again.

They sipped their coffees in silence for a while. They took turns glancing out into the street and down at their coffees.

"Alright." Kristoff looked at Anna. He didn't seem too upset, which Anna was relieved with. "At the moment, right? Just…not right now?" Kristoff gave her a small smile. Anna wasn't sure if he was joking.

"Uhmmm…you kno-OH MY GOD!" Anna jumped out of her chair as she witnessed an accident unravel before her eyes out on the street. A car was swiftly pulling in next to the sidewalk when the driver failed to see a cycler zooming up behind him. The speed of the cycler had enough force to throw his body from off his bike, over the car, and onto his back on the road. The car screeched to a halt.

"Jesus did you see that?!"

"Yea, holy shit."

They watched as the man in the vehicle run out of his car and tend to the cyclist. The cyclist was alive, but was grabbing onto his backside, his face scrunched up in pain. The two of them watched as more people gathered around to help the man up onto the sidewalk. Somebody was on her cell phone, most likely calling an ambulance.

"My god, that's the first I've seen anything like that before," Kristoff said in awe as he slowly took his seat.

"Yea, same here." Still startled, Anna sat back down and took a sip from her latte to calm herself a bit.

After a few moments of wrapping her head around what just happened, she tried to recollect herself and bring her mind back to the discussion they'd been having.

"What do you think was going through the biker's mind just before he got hit?" Kristoff questioned, still looking outside at the scene.

"Probably a really bad word," Anna replied.

"Ha-ha," Kristoff said unaffectedly. "I dunno, haven't you heard that people see their lives flash before their eyes? Or, they see some kind of bright light?"

Anna lips curled into a small smile as she was drinking her latte. She felt Kristoff coming back. She set her mug down to reply. "Oh, I see what you mean. Hmm…I think would do a quick prayer, something like 'god could you help me out real quick?'" She shrugged her shoulders.

"That's a pretty valid theory I suppose." He leaned down towards the ground to tie his shoe. Suddenly, Anna gasped when he swiftly picked up his guitar case and pretended to hurl it at Anna, scaring her and making her jump in her seat.

"Kristoff! What the hell?!"

"Haha! What came to mind just now? Did you see your life flash before your eyes? Did you say a little prayer?" Kristoff gave a clever grin.

"Oh you asshole." She laughed as she flicked some of her froth onto Kristoff, watching it spatter onto his chest.

"Oh you're going to pay for that." Kristoff said as he shot her a playfully menacing glare.

Anna laughed, delighting in the return to their playful and casual friendship.

"No really, I paid for the drinks. Pay up feisty pants."


	14. Melgeona Chocolates

The weather was turning colder with winter surely approaching, and still no letters had arrived. But she at least had the warmth of Kristoff's company and friendship. Things returned to normal between Anna and Kristoff. Both of them knew there was an uncomfortable question mark still underlying their friendship; they hadn't talked about it since the audition. But to Anna's relief, Kristoff hadn't pulled any moves like he did after school that one time. And Anna made sure not to say anything that might indicate interest or that might lead him on. Their friendship was in a grey area, but she liked it how it was now right now and didn't want anything to change.

Anna was sitting in the living room on the floor by the coffee table. She had been knitting light blue mittens for Elsa, who would be coming home for winter break any day now.

_She better be coming…_

Anna sighed. Elsa had a lot of explaining to do. She was relying on those letters to help her survive this awful time alone. The mail came around noon everyday, and Sylvia always brought the mail in and set it on the coffee table. And every day after school Anna would sift through the letters, hoping there was one for her. But there were none so far.

There had been a bad storm Friday and Saturday, so no mail except for domestic postage could get through on those days. And yesterday was Sunday so there was no mail service that day. So Anna's hopes had been higher for today's mail delivery. But when Anna came back from school today and sifted through the mail, again there was no letter.

_It's alright. She's going to be back any day now._

Anna continued knitting as she reassured herself and worked through her thoughts. She didn't know when she'd be coming back, because that's something that Elsa would've told her through her _letters_. Anna guessed that Elsa would contact her once she landed or arrived home.

She continued to knit in order to avoid the slight stinging in her chest from Elsa's neglect. _She didn't meet someone else, did she? I mean, it's great that she's making friends…but what if she met someone more important than me?_

Drained out by her anxious thoughts, Anna laid herself on her back and looked up at the ceiling. At least she had Kristoff. She started thinking about him, about his disheveled hair and burly frame. He wasn't bad at all. Maybe if Elsa didn't exist and if they weren't "siblings", then _maybe_it could happen? She chuckled to herself. The idea seemed almost ridiculous. Kristoff felt like a brother and friend more than anything else. And she was irresistibly fond of Elsa.

_Love?_

Anna really wasn't sure what the feeling was, but she knew it was the strongest feelings for anybody she'd ever had. She was young, but old enough to know what she wanted. Even when Elsa had been away for a while without any contact, Anna yearned even stronger for Elsa's arms to wrap around her body again. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around her chest, imagining Elsa's embrace. But she felt a tinge of disappointment as her own arms around her body further emphasized Elsa's absence. She decided to push the pain out of her head and focus on the present.

She opened her eyes and looked up at the ceiling again. Earlier that day Kristoff had excitedly informed her that he had gotten into Galton Conservatory of Music, early admission, with a full scholarship. They were going to dinner to celebrate soon, in about an hour. She would've invited her father, but he was out on a business trip for a couple days.

"_I couldn't have done it without you Anna," Kristoff said beaming._

"_I can't believe this…full scholarship? That's incredible!"_

_Anna went in for a hug, but she stopped herself._ "_Uh..er…high five!"_

_Kristoff chuckled and gave her a high five. He understood._ "_Let's go out to dinner or something. I'll treat!"_

_Anna hesitated for a second giving the notion some thought, but this was a worthy cause of celebration._ "_No, I'll treat!"_

_They clumsily high-fived again._

Anna was shaken from her memory when she heard footsteps thudding down the stairs. She stayed silent as she recognized them to be Hans's; his footsteps were lighter than Kristoff's and he walked with a kind of proud gait.

She knew she was out of sight on the floor, hidden behind the couch. Hans was rustling with something in his hand, a piece paper perhaps. He was walking toward the kitchen, and as he neared the couch that Anna was right beneath she heard him smacking his mouth on something. She laid perfectly still hoping not to make a sound as she heard him pour himself a glass of something. The thickness of the liquid made it sound like milk. She heard the trashcan lid open as he threw something away and then the metal lid shut closed with a clang.

As he took the glass upstairs, Anna quietly lifted her upper torso to take a peek. His backside was to Anna now, and he was carrying a glass of milk in one hand and a sheet of paper in another.

When he was finally up the stairs and out of sight, Anna sat up in safety, relieved that she didn't have to interact with Hans. She made it an objective to stay away from him.

Deciding that she'd had enough of knitting today, Anna started to clean up her area. She raveled in the new wool she bought earlier that day, and gathered up the unfinished mittens into one of her arms. She picked up the ripped tags and scraps papers that she'd ripped off the new wool yarn and stood up to go throw the scraps away into the kitchen trashcan.

Anna stepped onto the foot lever and the trashcan lid came up. She brushed the scraps out of her hands and they fluttered into the trashcan. Just as she was about to step off the lever, something caught her eye that made her take a closer look.

Peering closer into the jumble of garbage, Anna saw what looked like a small cardboard box with a few crumpled silver foils littered around it. Under one of the scraps she just threw away, she saw the lid of the small box and one word that further fueled her curiosity.

"-_colates_"

She reached in and picked up the small lid, which was about the size of her hand. The cover was adorned with decorations and intricate designs that made the box look quite fancy. It was the words on the box that made whole body stiffen.

"_Melgeona~The United Kingdom's award winning gourmet Chocolates"_

She dropped her knitting material, and the metal needles clattered at her feet. Anna felt her heart thump faster in her chest. Her breathing became heavier as she read the box over and over, rapidly comprehending the information.

_United Kingdom. The Royal Academy is in the United Kingdom. Chocolates…she promised to send me chocolates. No…it can't be…_

Her mind backpedaled to a couple minutes ago, replaying the aural memory of Hans dropping something into the trashcan and pouring himself a glass of milk.

_Milk and chocolate…_

A lightening bolt of realization shot through her body as she whipped her eyes toward the stairs.

_The piece of paper in his hand…could it be!?_

Leaving her knitting material on the floor, she shot up the stairs. When she reached the hallway she saw that Hans's door was slightly ajar. She made up her mind to advance as quietly as possible, tiptoeing silently toward his room. As she peeked in between the small opening, she felt her heart pounding loudly in her ears.

Her jaw dropped open when she witnessed it all. Hans was on his bed lying down on his stomach reading the same piece of paper. She saw him turn it over, but seeing that there was nothing on the back, he folded it up. He pulled his body to the side of his bed toward his nightstand. He opened the middle drawer and pulled out a larger envelope that looked like it was holding other small papers similar to the one in Hans's hand. He inserted the paper into the larger envelope, closed it, then neatly put it back into the nightstand drawer.

_Are those all her letters!?_

Before Hans got up from his bed, Anna bolted from her position in front of his door and shot her way across the hall into her room as silently as possible. She flew onto her bed and curled into a fetal position. If he looked in it would look like she was napping. She perked her ear upwards to hear him in the hallway. It was difficult to hear with the sound of her heart pounding in her ears.

She heard him open his door wider and start down the hallway towards the stairs. His car keys were dangling. He was going out.

Anna waited for the sound of the garage door closing downstairs. She paused for a moment, then sprung up from her bed and made her way to Hans's room. She slid through the wide opening and bent down near his bed to open the drawer. She found the big envelope and opened it, carefully pulling out all the pieces of paper and laying them on the ground before her. She took one in her hands, but hesitated for a moment. She took a deep breathe in to try to calm herself, but couldn't wait. Hands trembling, she opened the letter.

A small whimper escaped from Anna's throat. She covered her mouth. The writing started to blur from the tears forming in her eyes. It was Elsa's neat and small writing.

_Dear Anna,_

_I miss you. Why haven't you be-_

"What the hell are you doing in my room!?" Hans barged in. His voice was angry and frantic. Anna hadn't heard him coming up the stairs. She remained in her position kneeling on the floor, motionless in disbelief. Tears were streaming down her face.

_Hans…_

She sharply turned around. She'd never felt such fury in her life. She'd never felt so betrayed or deceived. "What the _FUCK_are these doing in your room?!" She held up the letter in her hand, demanding an explanation. Her eyes were wild with rage and her face was growing hotter by the second.

"What in _god's_ name…I mean, did you seriously…did you _seriously_open _MY_ mail from Elsa and keep it hidden from me!? Have you been eating _MY_ chocolates_?!"_Anna felt her hot, angry tears stream down her face but did nothing to wipe them away.

Hans looked at her with a fearful expression. He looked stupid and awkward, just standing there staring at her. His mouth was half open and he was gawking at her without saying anything.

"Well!? You better tell me what the hell is going on, _right_now." Anna was huffing in and out, unable to control her rage. Behind Hans she saw Kristoff peer uneasily in from the doorway. "Anna, what's going on? Is everything alright?"

She couldn't take it anymore. She turned around and picked up all the letters, gathering them into her hands. She turned around and ran out of Hans's room past Kristoff and sped into her room, locking the door behind her. She threw herself on the bed still cradling the letters in her chest. She was crying uncontrollably. She lay in a fetal position for a while, letting herself cry. She couldn't believe Hans did such an evil thing.

When her bawling turned into a mild weep, Anna decided she was ready to read the letters. Hiccupping between sobs, she gingerly opened all of them in front of her in order, putting the ones dated first to the left and the ones dated most recent to the right. She paused to retrieve a tissue from a desk. There was fluid flowing from all over the place on her face. She needed to compose herself and clear her eyes out to read.

She saw that the letters got shorter as time passed by. Elsa had probably been utterly disappointed at Anna for not writing back. Anna couldn't help but feel like she betrayed Elsa even though she had nothing to do with this disastrous situation.

_But she kept writing_.

Anna looked at the last letter to her right that was dated most recent. It was short and to the point. She picked it up to take a closer look.

_Hi all,_

_I'm returning to Arendelle December 16th. The jet is scheduled to arrive at the gate around 8pm. I hope to see some of you there. Happy Holidays._

_Cordially,_

_Elsa_

Anna gasped. _Today_was December 16th. She jumped out of her bed and went to her desk to look at the mini calendar resting on her shelf to double-check.

_Monday, December 16th._

She looked down at her unisex watch, the gift from Elsa.

_7:07pm._

Anna froze in thought for a moment, taking it all in. The mail had delayed for two days and hadn't come yesterday because it was Sunday. They would've gotten this letter last week, but they got it today.

_I have to go meet her at the airport. Now._

She looked down at her jewelry box and grabbed the heart necklace she'd gotten from Elsa. She clumsily tried to latch it around her neck but her fingers were frantic and trembling, so she thrust it into her pocket.

Her eyes darted across her room, making sure she wasn't leaving anything behind. If she took the bus she'd be there well before 8pm. She grabbed her wallet and shoved it into her pack pocket. She sped out of her room, and ignoring Kristoff and Hans who were both still in Hans's room. It was then that Anna realized that when Hans was leaving earlier, he was heading to the airport to pick Elsa up.

_I'm coming Elsa. Hold tight._


	15. The Accident

Kristoff's heart sank as he watched Anna sprint down the hall and disappear down the stairs. Dinner with Anna would be out of the question. And deep down he knew that Elsa would always come before him. Always.

"You are one messed up dude, you know that Hans?"

From what he had seen, Kristoff gathered enough information to understand what had happened. He scoffed at Hans in disgust, and left the room to return to the storage closet.

* * *

Hans remained standing there facing his nightstand, keys clutched tightly in his hand. His legs started to feel weak, so he sat himself down on the edge of his bed. He leaned over and rested his arms on his knees, burying his face in his hands.

He couldn't believe he ruined his mother's plan. He was careless. How'd Anna find out? He gripped his hair between his fingers in frustration. He promised his mother that he'd be the one picking her up tonight. He started to panic.

_I failed mother, again. She's going to be disappointed. I can't do anything right god damn it!_

He gripped his head tighter, causing some self-inflicted pain. He needed something to ease his inner discomfort. He got up and made his way downstairs to the kitchen. He swung open the snack cabinet to try to find something to distract him from the torment inside his mind. He wildly started to pull out a variety of snack bags and containers out of the cabinet and onto the floor. It turned into a chaotic frenzy, with Hans throwing out everything in the whole cabinet out onto the counter and floor in anger.

Hans grabbed his head and yelled in frustration. He _hated _Anna. He needed to get out of his head, or else he was going to go fucking mad.

_Alcohol._

He opened the freezer and found handle of vodka. He unscrewed the cap and without hesitation, started to chug down the liquid in the glass bottle. After four big gulps he gagged and started to cough, spurting out a mouthful of the bitter liquor. Throat burning, he swung open the refrigerator door to look for something to chase the alcohol. He grabbed a grape soda, yanked the tab open and started to chug the purple liquid down his throat.

Hans burped loudly. The burn from the alcohol was gone, so he rashly grabbed the handle of alcohol again and started to guzzle it down once more. He got to five big gulps this time but was abruptly halted when he started choking again, spewing the liquid out onto the kitchen counter. He brought the grape soda to his mouth to assuage the burn.

After he felt the bitter taste of alcohol leave his throat, he sat down onto the kitchen floor, placing the handle of alcohol and can of soda down next to him. Feeling no comfort, he decided to sprawl out onto his back on the kitchen floor amongst the boxes and bags of snacks. He covered his face with his hands.

_I'm a failure. I can't even follow directions right. This whole plan was for nothing. Stupid fucking idiot, you're a stupid fucking idiot. I'm worthless. She's going to kill me._

Hans felt his face start to grow warm from the liquor. He gave another burp. Soon perhaps his pain would be dulled. He lay there for ten minutes, feeling the alcohol take over his mind and body. He imagined Anna meeting Elsa at the airport. He imagined Anna telling Elsa just how much of a freak Hans was by stashing all her letters. Elsa would never be interested in a freak like him.

"_This is your last chance. Don't let me down." _His mother's voice was resonating and repeating in his mind. Elsa was his only chance and he failed. Again.

He opened his eyes and looked at the kitchen ceiling light fixtures. They were starting to get hazy. He closed his eyes. He was waiting for the alcohol. He started to re-imagine his fantasies with Elsa. If he'd won her heart he would've lived a life in the royal château with maids and servants. His mother would've been proud of him. He would've been respected and cherished by the people.

_No!_

It wasn't too late. He could still meet Elsa at the airport. He could explain himself. He still had a chance!

_I'm going to fucking do it. This is my last chance._

Hans pulled himself up from the ground. His body felt heavy and the liquor was making the edges soft around everything. But he had to push through. He grabbed the car keys from the counter and heavily plodded towards the garage.

Now on the road, Hans's mind was spinning, or was it the road that was spinning? He was inebriated but not so much that he couldn't drive.

_I'm driving fine._

As he took a sharp right turn his car violently jerked upwards. His tire had caught the curb.

_Shit._

He made a quick mental note to drive better, but it was soon completely forgotten. He thought about how he would approach Elsa. How would he do this? He couldn't focus on such a complicated question right now. He needed to get there first. He'd think about it then. Where was he?

Hans had gotten lost and ended up in a parking lot. Frustrated, he pulled out his cell phone and used the map application to find his way back towards the airport.

Soon he saw an airplane descending closely overhead. He was getting close.

_Wait, is that Elsa's plane?_

He shook his head. He reminded himself that Elsa had a small private jet and a private lobby. It was a jet that he'd get to ride in if he were the soon-to-be mayor's husband.

He recognized the vehicle entrance tunnel for the private lobby to his left. It was a concrete tunnel that stretched for about a half a mile and led to a private parking lot. As he started taking a left turn, he saw a small convenient store on the corner just before the tunnel began.

HONK~~~~~

_SHIT!_

He smashed on the brakes. A car that was coming through the intersection from the opposite side had swerved and almost hit Hans's car. In the middle of the intersection he looked up and saw that the left turn signal had been red. Hans completely forgot about the intersection lights.

His heart was pounding fiercely as he turned into the dimly lit tunnel.

_Fuck…_

Feeling safer now in the secluded tunnel, Hans was getting apprehensive about his meeting with Anna and Elsa soon. What would he say? How would they react?

Then, Hans saw a lone figure walking on the sidewalk in the tunnel. As he neared her, he saw that she was carrying a plastic bag.

It was Anna.

Fear and fury both shot up and surged through his veins. She had ruined everything. He was a mess right now because of her. If she were out of the picture everything would be fine. She didn't deserve all this. Hans was suddenly overcome with a strong impulse. His drunken state of mind could not handle the intensity of his body's temperament.

_I'll just scare her…_

He slowly pressed deeper into the gas pedal. His car obeyed, whirring louder and increasing in speed. He was advancing onto her with intense acceleration. He saw Anna's head turn around in shock to see his car coming straight at her.

Seeing her face, Hans suddenly snapped out of his trance and realized what he was doing. He gasped as he smashed his foot into his brakes. But he was too late.

His tires screeched loudly as his vehicle skidded straight into Anna's body. Hans watched in horror as her upper torso slammed into the hood of his car, creating a loud bloodcurdling thud. Specks of red splattered onto his front window. As his car screeched to a halt, her body fell lifelessly backwards onto the ground.

Hans sat frozen. Motionless. Traumatized. Unable to process the situation. His eyes and mouth wide open, his knuckles white from tightly gripping his wheel.

He sat still. Maybe if he sat still he would snap out of the dream.

_Please let this be a dream, please let this be a dream._

He reached his trembling arm down to the stick shift to put his car in park and opened the door. He wobblingly stepped out of the car and started to approach the front.

_Oh my god…oh my fucking god._

Hans felt his knees shaking as he approached Anna's still body. Her eyes were closed and she wasn't moving. Her forehead was bloody.

_OH MY GOD. SHIT. SHIT._

"A-Anna?" Hans fell to his knees beside her. He pressed a trembling finger up to her neck to check her pulse. There was still a pulse.

"Oh god…oh my _god_."

Hans was panicking. Breathing rapidly, he stood up and looked to each side of the tunnel to look for help.

There was no one in sight.

"HELP! SOMEBODY!"

_Fuck. Oh my fucking god..._

He gripped his head with his hands in disbelief. He started to backup away from the scene, but stumbled on something and fell backwards, hard. He looked down and saw his foot had gotten stuck in the plastic bag she had been holding. It was from the convenient store he saw just at the entrance of the tunnel. He saw two cream soda cans had rolled out onto the road.

_FOCUS. Focus...Hospital. I need to get her to a hospital!_

He crawled towards the body and checked her pulse again. It was still there. He got up onto his two feet and started to lift Anna's body, grunting at the effort. His balance was impaired and he was staggering with her weight, so he had to put her back down. He looked back at the car and made his way towards the back doors, opening one of them. He returned to her body and attempted to lift her one more time, this time with full force. He grunted loudly as he exerted all of his strength into lifting her. Being extra cautious about his balance, he took her to the open back door and struggled as he slid her body sideways into the back seat. When all of her was in the car, he closed the back door and sat himself down in the driver's seat and closed his own door.

He looked into the rearview mirror and saw Anna lying there, still unconscious.

_What the hell have I done. I'm going to get arrested, I'm going to jail. What am I going to do!?_

He felt the tremors from his hands as he wiped the sweat away from his face. He put the car into drive and took a sharp u-turn. He had to get her to a hospital.

* * *

Hans pulled up to the ER entrance of the hospital, but the area in front of it was flooded with cars and ambulances.

_What the fuck…fucking perfect._

He looked back at Anna again, wondering if she was dead at this point.

He pulled up as far as he could to the ER entrance but he was still far from the ER doors. He parked behind four rows of cars and ran inside to try to find help.

As the automatic doors opened, Hans's nightmare continued. The room was packed full of people. Wailing people, bloody people, crying people, dying people. It was chaos. There were injured people waiting to be helped, family members waiting for their loved ones, and nurses and physician assistants trying to cater to them. He smelled burnt flesh and clothing. As a nurse passed he by grabbed one of them. "Please! I need help!"

"Were they in the fire? Get them through the doors immediately." She pointed at the doors leading further into the ER.

"No I-" But the nurse left him standing there. Another assistant was passing by. "I need your help!" But the assistant ignored him as he busily made his way towards the ER doors.

Hans stood there helpless. There were people wailing and yelling around him and he couldn't focus. He started walking through the ER doors accessible for employees only. Because of the chaos and disorganization, nobody was paying attention enough to stop him. Inside he saw doctors and nurses running to help patients. There were stretchers and gurneys all around, some empty and some with people on them moaning in pain.

"There's too many right now, this hospital can't take in any more. Yes I know that there are more people in the fire. Send them to Hick's Memorial." He heard a nurse yelling loudly into a phone at the counter beside him. "No we can't! We have unidentified bodies everywhere here. They're charred to the bone and identification is the last thing we are concerned about right now!" She slammed the phone down and ran out of the area to attend to something else.

Just then, Hans looked down beside him to see a stretcher. There was something on it, long like a body and it was covered with a white linen. Trembling, Hans lifted the linen and saw a blackened, burnt hand underneath. He covered his mouth and staggered backwards, running into the wall.

He suddenly felt sick. He ran out the ER doors out of the busy patient reception area and outside where he then vomited. The vomit was full of bitter bile and alcohol. It seemed to sear his throat as it spewed out.

After finishing, Hans felt like a zombie. The prolonged state of panic and horror put Hans in a strange, hazy spell. He wasn't sure if he was delusional or drunk. He was numb and had no power over what his body seemed to be doing. He wiped his mouth and staggered his way back to the car.

With a blank expression on his face, Hans looked into the backseat to find Anna still lying unconscious and bleeding from the head. He couldn't think. He felt his ears ringing and his head pulsating.

He opened the door and stared at her. The image of the charred black hand under the linen flashed before his eyes. His mind was vacant as he started to feel around her waist. He pulled out her wallet from her back pocket. He then reached over and took off the watch she was wearing. With these two items he closed the door behind him and walked slowly back into the ER reception area. He passed the frenzy of people and walked right through the ER doors again. He looked down at the stretcher with the burnt body. He lifted the white linen sheet and placed Anna's wallet and watch on the stretcher beside the body. He then set the linen over them.

"Hey! You can't be in here!" A nurse accusingly shouted at Hans. Hans obeyed and turned around and walked out of the ER back out to the car. He found his car, let himself in, and turned on the engine. Silently, still in a daze he made his way home.

Hans suddenly found himself pulling into his garage. He turned off the car and sat very still in the silence. The car smelled like blood. He turned around to face Anna again. He was sobering up, and reality of the situation was flooding over him.

_What have I done..._

Hans felt his heart start to pound against his chest again. His body trembled even more vigorously. He got out of his car and stumbled into the house. "MOTHER, KRISTOFF! HELP!"

Hans started crying. "M…mother HELP ME!"

He heard two pairs of footsteps rushing down the stairs.

"Hans? Dear, what's wrong?"

Hans heard her gasp and recoil as she saw him standing in the living room. He looked down at himself and saw that he was covered in blood. "Mother…" Hans was sobbing. He needed help.

"What the heck…Hans what happened?!" Kristoff was now standing next to his mother, looking absolutely bewildered.

It was difficult for Hans to get out his words through his sobs. "…I…accident…I hit Anna…it was an accident." There was a pause of confusion. They didn't understand. Hans pointed a shaky finger to the garage door.

"Hans…what the hell did you do…" Kristoff jogged past Hans and into the garage. He would see her soon.

"Mother…I…it was an accident. I can't go to jail. P-please, it was an accident. Don't let them take me away." Hans heard Kristoff screaming from the garage. "DEAR GOD!"

His mother looked at him in shock, hands still covering her mouth. Hans threw himself at her feet, desperate. "Please mother! Please…I won't last a day in prison. It was an accident…nobody saw it. Maybe she'll just wake up soon. I think she's still breathing! Please mother do something!" He took the seams of his mother's dress and wept into them. He heard Kristoff storming back into the living.

"Hans are you FUCKING insane?! WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Hans felt himself being violently lifted up by the collars of his shirt by Kristoff. He had come back from the garage.

"STOP IT! The both of you!" Sylvia had now finally come to her senses.

"We have to take her to the hospital! It looks like she's hurt badly! She's not waking up!" Kristoff yelled at the both of them. His voice was fearful.

"N-no I…I already took her to the hospital. They're packed with p…people. There was a f-f-fire-"

"Well then we'll take her to another hospital!" Kristoff roared.

"No please Kristoff!" Hans threw himself at his brother's feet now, grabbing onto his legs. "They'll ask how it happened...they'll send me to jail! They'll sentence me for attempted manslaughter…PLEASE!"

He felt Kristoff kick him away. "I hope they do! I hope they put you away. You're a fucking monster."

Hans was terrified. He looked up at his mother, grabbing onto the seams of her dress again. "Please mother please do something." Hans couldn't stop sobbing.

Sylvia didn't say anything. She went over to the kitchen and started dialing a number and waited for somebody to answer. Hans heard the other line pick up. "Georgio. It's Sylvia. I need _his_ location." After a moment, she grabbed a pen and paper and started hurriedly jotting something down. Then she hung up and looked up at the both of them. "We're taking her to your father. I have his location. He was involved in his stupid gang fights but was known for always being able to mend himself and his friends quite well. Let's go. Kristoff you stay since there's no room for you."

As she started going towards the garage door, Kristoff stormed into her way to block her. "NO," he roared into her face. "You think I trust _you _and _Hans_ with Anna, you witch?" He snatched the address from her hand and turned around to go into the garage. "Call dad to tell him I'm coming. I'm taking Anna. Alone."

Hans, still on the floor, started to crawl towards the garage. He saw Kristoff enter the driver's seat, skid out of the driveway, then zoom away from the house.

_What have I done?_

**-End of Part 1-**


	16. Part 2: The Playgirl

**a/n:**Summary below for those that skipped Part 1. For those that have read Part 1, disregard the summary and skip down to the beginning of the chapter below it. Thanks!

**-Summary of Part 1-**

Elsa and Anna are very close childhood friends. Tensions and fluff arise as Elsa (18 yrs old) see's Anna (15 yrs old) growing out of puberty and blossoming into a gorgeous young woman.

When they were younger, Anna's mother died and Elsa's father, the Mayor of Arendelle, died as well. In this alternate universe, the Mayor of Arendelle is considered to be royalty and equivalent to a "king" or "queen." After her father's death, Elsa's mother took over as Mayor, and Elsa is the next heir to the throne. Arendelle is considered a kind of capitol city of the continent, and makes powerful treaties and agreements with other surrounding countries and lands. But, it being only a city, Elsa does not have the wide recognition by the people that royal families have, such as the Royal Family in the UK right now. (This works to the story's advantage).

Anna's father remarries Sylvia, but unbeknownst to him she is a wicked, social-climbing disaster. She has two sons, Hans and Kristoff. She hates Kristoff and controls/manipulates Hans with guilt and shame. Hans is naive and his sole purpose in life is to please his mother, but Kristoff knows better. After the wedding, the three move into Anna's house with her father, but things don't go as planned for Anna. Hans hates and is extremely jealous of Anna's relationship with Elsa. In order to achieve a life of royalty and riches, Hans decides there is no choice but to become Elsa's future husband.

Elsa is a graduating senior and Anna a junior, so Elsa studies abroad for university. Before departure, she gives Anna an individualized heart necklace that fits inside a heart locket that Elsa wears. During her time away, Anna feels extremely alone. Her stepmother Sylvia is distant, and Hans is basically a dick, while Kristoff is cold to everyone in general. After she bakes Kristoff a cake for his birthday though, he falls in love with her. Tensions rise as he tries to woo her, but Anna is uncomfortable as they are "siblings," and her heart belongs to Elsa.

Elsa comes back during winter break, and when Anna goes and picks her up from the airport, a drunken Hans hits her with his car out of seething jealousy. He takes her wallet (identification) and places it next to an unidentifiable, lifeless burnt body in the hospital, making it appear as if it were Anna's dead, burnt body. He brings Anna's real body back home not knowing what to do. Kristoff takes Anna's limp but still breathing body to the outskirts of Arendelle to his biological father in hopes of healing her to health. This is where part one ends.

* * *

**-Part 2-**

**-5 years later-**

Elsa woke up to a loud noise beside her. Annoyed, she looked over and saw Hans slouched next to her with his head slumped to the side, mouth gaped open and snoring loudly. A wave of tiredness washed over her as she yawned and stretched her arms upward. She sat up and looked around the airport private lobby and saw nobody except a young woman sitting on the other side of lobby looking down at her cell phone.

She'd just arrived back in Arendelle after a long trip to Austria, and she was exhausted. Her eyes felt strained and tired, so she rubbed them to ease the discomfort. As the mayor's daughter, she had certain duties to fulfill such as maintaining diplomatic relations with other future rulers of different countries and lands. And she absolutely hated it.

Their jet had arrived an hour earlier than planned somehow, so their limo wouldn't be coming until later. Thus here they were, waiting in the lobby when Elsa wanted nothing more than to be in the comfort of her own bed. She felt a pair of eyes on her, and looked up to see the young woman across from her looking at her. The girl quickly shot her head down, pretending to look at her phone again.

Elsa smiled to herself. Boys, girls; she couldn't help that they all found her attractive. While she was in university she had quite a run with the ladies; they'd found her irresistible. Apparently they loved that she was "wounded" and "mysterious". Her looks and naturally petite, yet strong physique helped too probably. Her nickname had been "bad boy" or "playgirl," although she wasn't sure if she was fond of either of them.

She cringed at the thought of university. She almost hadn't graduated. Her mother had to meet with the head dean of The Royal Academy to do some negotiating to get her through. It would have been bad PR for the mayor's daughter of Arendelle, or the future mayor of Arendelle to have flunked out.

It was her anxiety. Her anxiety increased tremendously after _her _death, which resulted in a comorbid diagnosis of anxiety and depression, according to Dr. O'Meara. The depression engulfed her livelihood and left her fatigued and lifeless. The two evils made her feel numb and emotionless for most of the days. She lost pleasures in most of the things she'd enjoyed before, such as playing the piano. To Elsa everyday was a huge void and a hazy fog. She just didn't care about things at all anymore. This overhanging depression actually helped ease her anxiety a little, but it was still there, lingering.

There were few distractions that helped her get through the agony of daily life: binge watching TV shows, video games, naps, cream soda, and sex. She used to like to chocolate, but eating it reminded Elsa too much of _her. _She had picked up smoking in university because she found it relieved some anxiety, but her mother forced her to quit before coming home because of publicity reasons.

She missed smoking. Elsa pretended to a hold a cigarette in her hand and she brought two fingers up to her lips and pressed them there. She closed her eyes and inhaled. She craved and missed the sweet relief that nicotine used to bring her.

She opened her eyes and once again found the girl staring at her, this time wide-eyed and flushed. Elsa quickly brought her two fingers that were forming a "V" shape down from her lips, realizing what this might look like. Elsa shot her a small smile. It looked like the girl tried to hold back a grin, but Elsa couldn't tell because the woman shyly looked down again and flicked her thumb against the screen of her phone.

Elsa's chair practically shuddered with Hans's snores ringing loudly beside her. She sighed and looked down at her engagement ring given to her by Hans. Besides his enormous snores, Hans was alright. He was like her own puppy dog. He followed her around everywhere, and Elsa didn't mind because he did everything and anything she asked him to, not that she demanded much. Their relationship was mostly professional and surface level, which she liked. Whenever she went on political or diplomatic trips, he would accompany her for publicity reasons, but other than that she didn't spend much time with him. Her mother and PR team strongly suggested that she should have a husband before being coronated to the next mayor. The polls showed that people strongly preferred their leaders to be married, regardless of if the heir was male or female.

"_Miss Elsa, it is strongly recommended that you find somebody. We know you had someone in mind before, but she's g…you need to find someone else."_

_Elsa looked around the table at the PR team. They all nodded their heads in agreement. Her mother, who was at the head of the table looked at her in concern._ _"Sweetheart you should listen to them. I don't ask much from you, but this I insist."_

_Elsa thought for a moment, but not for long._ "_Hey Hans, wanna get married?" Elsa called out to Hans without turning around._

_Hans, who was not at the table but behind her standing at the door by the bodyguards, cleared his throat._ "_Y…yes."_

"_Then it's settled," Elsa said as she got up from the table. She couldn't care less._

Elsa put her head back against the seat behind her and closed her eyes. She set her arms on the armrests of her chair and positioned herself so that she was more comfortable. It would still be a bit longer before their limo arrived. Maybe she could get in a couple more minutes of sleep. She brought up her hand and affectionately rubbed the heart locket around her neck out of habit.

She suddenly felt someone's finger lightly trace up her arm. She looked up and was met with a seductive smile from the girl right before she disappeared into the restroom.

_I_ _could use a pick-me-up._

Sitting here with her thoughts was uncomfortable and she was very close to almost thinking about _her _again_._ This distraction would be perfect to pass the time.

Elsa stood up, yawned, and stretched her limbs outward once more. She then turned around to claim her next indulgence. She opened the restroom door and saw the girl looking into the mirror and applying lip gloss to her lips. Elsa slipped in and closed the door behind her.

"So where are you headed?" Elsa slid her hands into her pockets and made her way towards the young woman, who continued applying the lip gloss. Elsa saw her lips curl into a slight smile.

"Canada." The girl finished applying her lip gloss and turned around to look at Elsa. She was a very feminine young woman with long brown hair and deep brown eyes. She'd do nicely.

"Oh, interesting. I hear they have great maple syrup." Elsa had now reached the sink area and she leaned her back against the stall next to it, creating some distance between them.

"Yea it's great. My lip gloss is actually maple syrup flavored." She slowly twirled the stick of lip gloss in her fingers.

"Oh, do you mind if I try?" Elsa leaned up from the stall wall and started making her way towards her.

"Sure, go for it." The girl reached her hand out to offer the lip gloss to Elsa. She started twirling her the tips of her hair with her other hand.

Elsa took out a hand from her pocket and reached out for the lip gloss, slowly wrapping her fingers around the hand that was holding it. She got closer so that eventually she had the girl pressed against the bathroom wall. Faces close, she saw the girl bite her lip and look down at Elsa's lips. She was still twirling her hair with her fingers, more slowly now. Elsa brought her own face right up to hers and lightly brushed their noses together, but hesitated for a little, wanting to savor the moment. She looked down at the young woman's chest to see it rise and fall with her slow, heavy breathing. She brought her eyes up to the girl's lips. They looked extra luscious from the lip gloss. She had to taste them. She couldn't wait any longer. She finally pushed her lips against hers, and a warm rush of pleasure washed over her. Her lips were soft and plump as Elsa skillfully grazed and ground her lips into her, taking her in.

She felt the girl's hand drop from twirling her hair and grasp at the wall behind her. Elsa took her other hand out of her pocket and started to feel around her waist. Her hand slid under her shirt and Elsa felt her warm skin as she caressed the side of her midriff. She slowly started to press her body into hers, making the girl moan at the sensation.

Elsa finally pulled her lips away from the brunette, who kept her eyes closed, not wanting the moment to be over. Her face was pink with arousal and she was breathing heavily. Elsa grazed her cheek against the girl's as she whispered into her ear.

"You're right. Tastes just like maple syrup."


	17. A New Identity

Kristoff lay on the bed strumming his guitar. He was practicing chords for the new song they were supposed to play tonight. It already sounded trite and tedious.

He decided to take a break and set the guitar down and put his arms behind his head to relax. He started whistling the tune his co-workers were to play tonight at Mystery World. He had been working there for three years now and hated it, but it was work and jobs as a musician were scarce.

But he was happy. He'd never been this happy in his life. He looked around the small room. He was living in a trailer park home with his father and Kristen, and it was small for three people, but it worked, and they got by fine. Kristen and him slept on the master bed while his father, Frederick slept on the couch in the living room.

He looked at the clock overhanging the doorway that led out to the living room. He still had two hours before he needed to leave for Mystery World, which was in Arendelle. It was unfortunate that the only job he could find was the in the city that he desperately wanted to avoid as much as possible. They were living on the outskirts of Arendelle, about an hour away if you took the bus. He was avoiding his old family and the people that Kristen used to know. Ever since the accident, the only thing he'd spoken to them about was this arrangement and nothing else.

He then saw a head of glowing orange hair walk past his window. She was back.

"Oh E~rik! We're back!"

Kristoff's smiled as he heard Kristen open the trailer home door and step inside. He heard small yaps of excitement from their dog, Sven. He heard the jangling of the collar coming towards him, and a small Chihuahua eventually jumped up onto the bed and started spazzing out and jumping everywhere.

"Hey Kristen," Kristoff said as he saw her come in through the bedroom doorway.

"Hey you," she said and she plopped down next to him, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"How was the walk?" Kristoff grabbed the small dog with his one hand and lifted him into the air. Sven wagged his tail and yapped once.

"Not bad. He ran into Dover again, god the owners really need to train him. He almost swallowed Sven whole! I had to beat Dover on the head with a nearby newspaper roll to get him to drop Sven. I mean, I know he's playing and he usually picks him up lightly, but Sven hates it! He was shaking for ten minutes after that…"

Kristen laid on her back and let out a deep breath. Kristoff curled the dog into his chest and turned over to look at her. She was as gorgeous as ever. The light freckles on her face, the liveliness of her blue eyes…it was all glorious to Kristoff. He couldn't believe that she was all his.

"What time is it?" Kristen brought her head up and looked at the clock. "Oh my gosh! I have to go!" She sprang up from the bed and started to look for her nurse uniform. Kristoff took the liberty to watch her change. It was better than watching sports, he thought, as he saw her slip off her top.

"Don't look!" She said, peering behind her to look at Kristoff, giving a playfully threatening glare.

"Haha are you serious? Fine…" Kristoff turned his gaze up to the ceiling and lifted Sven up again. He started to do dumbbell presses with the dog. Sven did not seem to be enjoying them as he put his tail underneath his tiny body.

"Where is that thing…" She starting digging through a pile of clothes at the bottom of the closet.

Kristoff turned his head to take another peek. "I'm so proud of you Kristen. You're such a hard worker."

"Blech," Kristen retorted as she continued throwing clothes behind her back. "Save the waterworks for later will ya."

Kristoff chuckled. She had finished nursing school a couple years ago and received a degree in geriatric nursing. The field was booming right now with a huge need for geriatric nurses to take care of senior citizens. The baby boomers were getting old.

"Aha…found it!…the pants too…" She threw on her blue nursing top, then proceeded to kick her jeans off and pull on the comfortable nursing pants.

"Are you attending to Mrs. Sweeny again?" Kristoff asked as he saw her looking into her nursing bag to check that she had everything.

"Yea, so I'll be back a little later tonight. Want me to pick up any goodies from Arendelle?"

"No. Just come straight home." Kristoff replied bluntly. He was nervous every time Kristen went to Arendelle for Mrs. Sweeny. She was her only client in Arendelle.

"Alright, love you sweetie. Bye." Kristen gave a quick peck on Kristoff's cheek, and then headed out the door of the trailer park home.

"Bye."

When the footsteps trailed off in the distance, Kristoff put down Sven onto the bed and started petting him.

He was so lucky to have her. Too lucky. A familiar pang of strong guilt struck Kristoff, but he quickly brushed it off.

_It's for the best._

Kristoff found his mind drifting back in time again. He tried to bring his mind back to the present, but he couldn't control it as it pulled him back to the day of the horrific accident.

That day some psychopath thought it would be funny to make homemade bombs and secretly stash them throughout a popular department store in Arendelle. He blew them up all at once, setting the whole building up in flames after the explosion. It was a tragedy.

All the hospitals were crammed full of people. Apparently Hans had made it so that the hospital officially declared Anna dead because of that fire by putting her wallet and personal items with a burned and unidentifiable body.

_Sick fuck…_

Fortunately Frederick, Kristoff's father was a natural healer even though he'd never attended medical school or anything. He had a knack for it. When Kristoff had brought Anna to him, he said she'd be alright but that she might be in a coma for a while. Neither of them anticipated though that when she finally did wake up, her memory, identity and any recollection of her past were lost.

When Hans and Sylvia found out about it, they reacted immediately and made an ultimatum with Kristoff and his father. If they kept Anna here out in the suburbs under a different identity, then they'd never contact Kristoff or Frederick ever again. They'd sent a good amount of money to keep them quiet, but his father Frederick had lost all of it in gambling. His father and Kristoff almost had no choice in the matter though, with Sylvia's dangerous henchmen working behind the scenes for her. So Kristoff changed their names to Erik and Kristen. Of course Elsa and her father were in absolute despair at the news of her death, and for many weeks Kristoff considered telling them the truth. But the weeks turned into months, which turned into years. It was too late now.

Kristoff was brought back to the past when he heard little Sven yapping from the small kitchen area, demanding for his dinner. Kristoff couldn't help but let the smile form across his face. He was happy now though. Was he wretched for doing this to Anna? For giving her this life in a trailer park home? She sure didn't deserve it, but she seemed to be happy too, right?

"Alright Sven I'm coming hold your horses."

* * *

Kristen was now seated on the bus double-checking to see that she had everything she needed for tonight with Mrs. Sweeny.

_Good, I have everything._

She loved Mrs. Sweeny. She felt like a mother, although Kristen didn't remember what it was like to have one. Erik had told her that she had been in a big car accident and that both her parents had died in it. He'd told her that as her previous boyfriend, he'd taken her in to live with his father Frederick. She was used to an underlying feeling of longing and sadness because of her lost past and identity, but she was grateful towards Frederick and Erik for taking her in and filling in as much gaps as they could. She owed her life to them.

Kristen looked out the bus window and saw Arendelle's buildings in the distance. It would still be around thirty minutes to the client's house, so she let herself relax and sit with her thoughts.

Mrs. Sweeny was a retired nurse, so Kristen found herself learning a lot from her. In fact, she was regarded as one of Arendelle's most prized nurses and received awards of recognition for her many years of service. She was going to retire two years ago, but the government requested her services for the mayor's daughter. Kristen listened in wonder as Mrs. Sweeny would tell her stories about her being a "neurosis nurse", a nurse specific for the government's needs, catering for the mayor's daughter who was distraught with a severe anxiety and neurosis problem. She'd retired a couple months ago when she fell descending the royal chateau's garden steps. Kristen was now assisting her with her hip and getting around the house.

Kristen had finally arrived at the front of Mrs. Sweeny's apartment. She took out her keys from her bag and let herself in. "Hi Mrs. Sweeny, how are you doing today?" she asked as she saw Mrs. Sweeny in the kitchen trying to pour herself a glass of orange juice.

"Here let me get that for you." Kristen dropped her bags and hurried herself to take over the task.

"Thank you darling." Mrs. Sweeny gratefully sat herself down in her wheelchair. Kristen handed her the glass and started wheeling her into the living room. "Kristen I actually have some news for you today."

"Oh really, and what's that?" Kristen parked the wheelchair in front of the coffee table and sat in the armchair next to her, her body perked up in curiosity.

After she took a sip of her orange juice, Mrs. Sweeny looked at Kristen with eyes glistening with good news. "Well, so the government is looking for new N.N.'s."

Kristen cocked her head to convey slight confusion.

"Oh haha, neurosis nurse honey. N.N. stands for neurosis nurse."

"Oh! Of course!" Kristen chuckled at her own silly misunderstanding.

"Yes, so they've contacted me to see if I had any connections or recommendations. And guess whose information I gave them?"

Mrs. Sweeny's eyes sparkled when she said this. Kristen gasped and brought her hand up to her chest. "Oh my gosh, you didn't. Did you really?"

Mrs. Sweeny laughed and took Kristen's hands into her own. "Yes dear, I've given them your resume and gave a strong recommendation. I think you'd be a perfect N.N., and I've been in the nursing business for a long time. You've got what it takes, and more."

Kristen couldn't believe it. Her heart starting to flutter at the thought of working for the _government, _in _Arendelle _no less. This city was bustling and bright, full of life and adventure. She loved coming here, but the living and apartment rates were much too expensive for her.

She felt a light squeeze from Mrs. Sweeny's hand. "They want you to come in tomorrow for an orientation class."

Kristen's heart jumped. _Tomorrow? _It was happening so fast.

"Oh darling don't you worry. The gig comes with so plenty of benefits. They provide for all your commuting expenses, it's great healthcare, there's free meals with your shifts…_and..._here's the best part." Mrs. Sweeny brought her ear to whisper something into Kristen's ear.

"What?!" Kristen squeaked. She was shocked at how much the salary was. She stared at Mrs. Sweeny to see if she was joking or not.

"That's…that's almost four times as much as I'm getting right now!"

Mrs. Sweeny gave a laugh of delight. "Dear yes it's a wonderful job! But there is a small reason why the pay is that high."

Mrs. Sweeny's face softened a bit and she looked down at Kristen's hand wrapped in hers. Kristen hoped that what she was about to reveal wasn't going to be too bad. She already wanted this job badly. She could afford to move Frederick, Erik, Sven and herself into a decent apartment in Arendelle with that kind of money.

Mrs. Sweeny sighed. "As you already know, the N.N.'s are for the mayor's daughter. Her name is Elsa and she's diagnosed with major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. So, she might not be the easiest to deal with."

Kristen looked into Mrs. Sweeny's eyes, listening intently. "Elsa is supposed to be the next mayor, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen anytime soon. Her behavior is erratic and unprofessional nowadays. In fact, well…I'm not sure of the specific details but I hear two N.N.'s have recently been let go, which is why they're looking for a new batch of nurses to train and certify."

Kristen bit her tongue. The job did seem like bit of a challenge. It sounded like there was a lot of pressure, it being an official government job, for the _mayor's_ _daughter._

Kristen took a deep breath and made up her mind. Even if the mayor's daughter was difficult, she would take her chances. The benefits sounded too good for her to let the opportunity pass.

She gave a confident smile to the old woman. "Mrs. Sweeny, I think I might just take the job."


	18. Neurosis Nurse

Kristen nervously approached the front desk inside the lobby of the capitol building. The concierge held up a finger, implying for her to wait as he was speaking on the phone with someone. Kristen wrung her hands together and waited anxiously.

She wasn't late or anything for the orientation, but she wanted to get there as soon as possible. She had left Erik and Frederick at home wondering where she went so early in the morning. She had made her mind not to tell them about the new job because she wanted to buy an apartment in the city and offer it to them as a surprise. It was the least she could do for them after they'd graciously taken her in.

_Relax, just relax. You've basically already got the job._

A recommendation from Mrs. Sweeny was like gold in the nursing field. They had told her that they didn't need an interview from her, and that she was merely to show up at orientation today. They sounded eager to get new nurses in as soon as possible. So she basically had the job already. She was more nervous about starting a new fancy job in the midst of royal and important figures.

The concierge finally hung up the phone and looked down at Kristen.

"Hi, I'm here for the N.N. certification orientation?"

"All the way down the hall to the conference room to the left."

"Thank you." Kristen looked down the lavish corridor. She was struck by all its glory, with white stone pillars lining down the hall and primstone marble floors. Her footsteps lightly echoed as she made her way down the vast hall.

As she started to near the end of the corridor, she veered to the left and started to read the door labels. _Ballroom A…Ballroom B…Office of Consumer Affairs…Aha! Conference Room._

The doors to the conference room were already open and she saw that there were rows of long tables facing one white board in the front. Two other nurses had already arrived and were waiting. They looked up at her as she sat herself down in the second row and pulled her messenger bag over her head to set it down. She gave a small wave, but neither waved back and turned back to face the front. She shrugged and looked around the room.

It wasn't very big, maybe the size of a long classroom. The white board had "N.N. Certification Orientation" written on it. Kristen suddenly heard rustling and footsteps shuffling towards her. She looked up to find a sprightly girl about her age plop herself down next to her. "Hi! My name's Heidi. You're here for the N.N. orientation right?" She thrust out her hand and practically grabbed Kristen's, shaking it vigorously. She had dirty blonde hair and was very pretty. She had a subtle amount of makeup on and her eyes were hazelnut brown and sparkled with enthusiasm.

"Yes I suppose so." Taken aback a bit by the girls' forwardness, Kristen pointed to the whiteboard.

"Oh haha I didn't see that there. So what's your name?" She asked, her voice bubbly and high pitched.

"I'm Kristen."

"Well hi Kristen. What was your nursing field before?" Kristen could tell that Heidi was a person that could not sit still or stop talking.

"I was in geriatrics, what about you?"

Heidi's eyes lit up. "Oh! Wow that's a booming field right now isn't? So many old people these days just falling down everywhere, you chose a good field. But I'm excited for this…neurosis nursing? Interesting isn't it? I kind of feel special because it's such a rare and specialized field. I was a lactation specialist before this…you know what it is right? Where we help mothers breastfeed their newborn babies. Babies surprisingly have a hard time latching onto those nipples, you'd be surprised. But it wasn't fulfilling for me, I actually don't like babies very much. And when the fathers needed to be paying attention to the mothers and the breastfeeding, they couldn't concentrate because they were staring at me!" Heidi laughed and flipped her hair backwards. "Ohh I'm just kidding. Oh my gosh I feel like going to be like best buddies here. Let's stick around each other yea?"

Kristen realized she was staring at Heidi with her mouth slightly gaped open. She definitely talked really fast and with a lot of energy, and Kristen didn't know how to react to it. She quickly closed her mouth and was about to reply when she saw an older women come through the conference room doors and make her way to the whiteboard.

"There's four of you right? Good. My name is Gertrude Olden, but you can call me Nurse Olden. I'll be your instructor for your N.N. certification. I am the head nurse practitioner here. If you haven't already realized, N.N. stands for neurosis nurse. It's a job that is specific for the government's needs at this time." Nurse Olden looked out at the four students and cocked an eyebrow. "Well, what are you waiting for? Take your notebooks out and start writing some notes!"

As Kristen quickly grabbed her messenger bag to take her notebook out, she heard Heidi lean in and whisper. "Somebody's cra~nky this morning."

Hoping the instructor didn't hear Heidi, Kristin gave Heidi a hesitant smile, then looked down at her notebook and started writing the date.

"Alright good, here we go. You will complete orientation lessons, which will last around two weeks, then take an exam to receive your N.N. certification. I assume you all having nursing degrees already. You must receive an A on the exam or you will be ineligible to receive your certification. You are joining other N.N.'s currently attending to Miss Elsa. You are to address her by Miss Elsa and nothing else. Each of you will have different shifts assigned to you each week. If you are late or miss a shift, you are fired. This isn't a game folks." Nurse Olden turned around and started writing on the whiteboard. "Your lesson plan will consist of a variety of subjects including generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, ASMR or autonomous sensory meridian response treatment, mental health and wellness, physiological health and wellness, cognitive behavioral therapy…"

Kristen bit her tongue while she tried to scribble down all the notes, trying not to fall behind. Before she knew it, she was deeply engrossed and concentrated in the material Nurse Olden was presenting before them. It was challenging but wildly fascinating at the same time. Depressed individuals had a difficult time cleaning in general, so N.N's were to clean after the mayor's daughter whenever she was to throw anything onto the floor or make any kind of mess. A clean environment was always to be enforced around Miss Elsa. They were to never initiate conversation with her unless the mayor's daughter initiated first. N.N.'s were always to stand quietly in one designated spot in Miss Elsa's room for the whole time, never leaving the spot unless their duties made it essential that they do. They were to bow their heads down in respect every time she passed by them. One of the more unfamiliar and stranger tasks that she learned about was ASMR treatments. The more experienced N.N.'s would treat Elsa with ASMR treatments, which consisted of them massaging her head with relaxing tools and narrating their tasks softly to Miss Elsa as they groomed and relaxed her. They would lead her through guided meditations and talk to her in calm voices to bring her to a more relaxed state of mind. She learned about panic attacks and how to help somebody cope with them.

Kristen couldn't help but feel overwhelmed at all the information she had to process and train for.

_Can I do this?_

Nurse Olden gave them a warning. "This is not an easy job folks. One N.N. was recently let go, while another one was fired a while back."

Heidi leaned over. "I heard about that…I heard that this Elsa girl seduced and slept with them. Drama~!"

Kristen felt a cold chill shoot down her body when Nurse Olden shot an angry glare towards the two girls. She had heard what Heidi said. "You are _always_ to address her as _Miss_ Elsa. And yes, Miss Elsa is known to have many alluring features and her unprofessional behaviors make it difficult for some N.N.'s, but that will change from now on as we have made it quite clear to her what her relationship with the N.N.'s should be. There is strict protocol now and if you break it, you will be fired without any hesitation."

The whole time she said this Nurse Olden had been looking straight at Heidi and Kristen, who were evidently the youngest and most attractive in the room.

Kristen gulped. _Just who was this Elsa?_


	19. The First Shift

Kristen brushed off the last piece of lint that was clinging to her dress pants.

_There, perfect._

She looked up at herself in the narrow mirror and gave small spin, admiring her new uniform in the reflection. She liked the N.N. uniforms. They were a big step up in style from her old blue scrubs she used to wear. She was wearing a pair of white dress pants that were specifically measured for her. Buttoning up the last button of her light blue dress shirt, she looked down at her official government cufflinks that were glinting in the sunlight. Kristen tapped the heels of her white oxford shoes together.

_Now for the last touch._

Kristen reached over and picked up her N.N. I.D. that had been resting on the table next to her. Her eyes fell on the jewelry box that she'd gotten as a gift from Frederick. In it there was a single necklace with a small silver heart hanging from it. She didn't like wearing it because seemed unfamiliar to her, like it belonged to someone else. But she was extremely fond of it somehow. It was the only thing she had from her past. Everything else had been lost.

She looked back into the mirror and carefully fastened the identification tag to her breast pocket, and then gave herself one final look in the mirror.

_I'm officially an N.N.!_

Kristen felt butterflies in her stomach as she gathered up her things and prepared to set out to Arendelle. She was glad that Erik and Frederick weren't in. She'd have to work to hide the nametag, which had her job title on it. She merely told them that she'd gotten a new job at a hospital in Arendelle. Her new income would be able to afford a new place in the city for the three of them in as little as four months. She wanted to surprise them with it, so she kept quiet about the pay.

"See you later Svennie." She kissed the Chihuahua on its tiny head and headed out the front door.

As she walked to the nearby bus stop, Kristen's mind was swirling with both worry and excitement. It was her first four hour shift today, and thankfully it was right after Heidi's so she'd have a friendly face to greet before she went in. She wondered how Heidi was doing right now.

* * *

Kristen nervously twisted her fingers and intertwined them together, waiting for her turn outside Miss Elsa's doors. Wanting to occupy herself with something, she turned around and looked into the hallway that she'd walked through earlier. The Royal Château was nothing like she'd ever seen before. The architecture was mostly French and it was proudly embellished with all that was grandeur and majestic. Heidi had been to France and said it resembled the Palace of Versailles. Kristen wondered if she'd ever been to France in the past.

She turned around again and wiped her sweaty palms carefully onto her dress pants, making sure not to wrinkle or ruin them. She looked at the two bodyguards on both sides of Miss Elsa's doors. Their arms were crossed and they had earpieces in their ears, and they looked very intimidating.

Kristen's heart skipped a beat when she heard a small beeping sound and saw one of the bodyguards look up at his watch. He then looked at Kristen. "You're up." She gulped.

A jittery mess, Kristen watched the bodyguard slowly creak open the heavy wooden doors. For a moment nothing happened. Then, she saw Heidi quietly slip through. She was wearing the same uniform as she was, and Kristen suddenly felt a strong sense of camaraderie with her co-worker.

"Kristen!" Heidi whispered loudly and went to go hug her. Kristen was reminded that they were not to speak or make loud noises around the premises.

"Oh gosh how was your first shift? I'm so nervous!" Kristen whispered excitedly.

"Babe it's like you're not even there. I picked up one soda can today and that's it."

The bodyguard cleared his throat. It was time for Kristen to go in.

"Wish me luck!" Kristen whispered. Heidi shot her a grin.

"You'll be fine…she's napping right now."

As Heidi passed Kristen, she leaned over quickly and whispered into her ear.

"Dude she is _super _hot."

She jumped as she felt Heidi slap her on the butt wishing her luck. Kristen took a deep breath and scurried her way into Miss Elsa's chamber. _Get to your position, first just get to your position._

Kristen's mind was frantic as she searched the room for her position. She had never been in the chamber before, but she was shown diagrams of Miss Elsa's bedroom. She recognized the familiar set up and hurried over where the N.N.'s were all supposed to be situated. They were to stand directly in the middle of the back wall between the two large windows.

When she settled herself in the position, she let go of the breath she'd been holding in, only to gasp and hold in the breath as she took in the magnificence of the room.

Her chamber was a little bigger than a basketball court. There were long windows that stretched down all along the tall ceilings on the opposite wall, but were covered with white drapes preventing strong sunlight from coming through. The floors covered with a creamy egg shell white carpet, with patterns of snowflakes dispersed all throughout the floor. There was a black grand piano in one corner of her room. In the middle of her room there was a large screen TV with a lush couch placed in front of it. On the far side of the room there was Miss Elsa's bed, which was next to an opening that Kristen assumed was her bathroom. As opposed to most mattresses, hers was round in shape and vast in size. It was large enough to fit four people. There was a white bed frame that encircled and reached up to hover over the bed. In it, Kristen saw a small figure under the sheets.

_Miss Elsa..._

Kristen felt her palms start to sweat again. She was actually in her presence…the mayor's daughter! It was actually Miss Elsa, the girl of whom she'd heard so much about. Heidi had been right. She was napping right now.

Kristen was relieved. It would've been a little much for her to handle a lot of duties on her first day. She took a big inhale and then let her shoulders relax as she exhaled deeply. She felt herself calm down a bit. _Maybe today's going to be easier than I thought._

-**2 hours later-**

Miss Elsa was still napping, and Kristen was just so, ridiculously bored. _How am I going to last two more hours!?_ She began to understand why the salary was so high for this job. Just then, she heard Miss Elsa stir in her bed. Kristen froze.

Her heart started thumping against her chest as she saw Elsa wake up from her slumber. She kicked the covers off and yawned loudly, stretching all four of her limbs outward. She laid there like that momentarily, limbs sprawled out. Then she sat up and started climbing out of bed.

Kristen whipped her head down and stared at the floor. _Oh my god, okay protocol. Protocol…nod your head when she comes by. Oh god is she coming by?_ Kristen peeked up to see that Elsa was gone from her bead. She heard a faint tinkling from the bathroom.

_She's in the bathroom._

When she heard the flushing of the toilet, Kristen nodded her head down again just in case. She heard Miss Elsa's footsteps on the hard granite bathroom floors transition onto the soft carpet. She heard the rustling of her bed sheets again. Kristen took a slight peek and saw Miss Elsa had gone back under the covers.

The rest of the two hours Kristen spent attending to a napping royal official.

* * *

Elsa adeptly pressed combo patterns on the game console buttons with her thumbs, successfully punching down and defeating her contender.

"Winner!"

Elsa had wondered how many wins she had today. She'd been playing for a good two hours. Now back at the character-choosing menu, she contemplated about choosing another character.

_Nah, Samus is the best._

"Samus!" The male voice cried as she pressed the 'A' button. Elsa found enjoyment in a few games, one of them being Super Smash Brothers. It eased her anxiety. As the next game was loading, she picked up the can of cream soda and chugged a few gulps down.

"Ready, fight!" Elsa quickly placed the can down onto the table beside her and started to play the game. She quickly shot away Mario, but was distracted when she heard the doors behind her open.

_Probably N.N.'s just changing shifts._

She brought her attention back to the game. She didn't care to interact with them anymore, neither looking at nor talking to them much. In the past year after coming back from university, although she didn't quite want to, she supposed it was appropriate that she be polite and have some conversations with them. They were, after all, hanging out with her for most of their day. But that didn't turn out too well, as two of them were fired recently.

So she found it better and easier to keep to herself. She rarely looked or acknowledged them, and they got by fine while doing their jobs. She heard they hired a new batch of N.N.'s a week ago, but Elsa didn't care. She heard the new N.N. cough, but brought her focus back on the game, shooting a cannon at a Kirby so that it violently shot up into the air and faded off into a pink speck into the distance.

"Winner!" the game cried again as Samus did her victory move.

Elsa was finally bored with the game, and reached up and clutched her heart locket out of habit. Contemplating for a moment, Elsa decided some television would do the trick. She got off the couch and walked toward the screen to turn off the game console that was underneath it. As she headed back to the couch she picked up the laptop that was sitting on the coffee table in front of her and opened it.

_Netflix, how I love you._

She picked her favorite comedy TV series and settled deeper into the couch to enjoy it. She had the option of watching it from the big screen right in front of her, but preferred having the screen up close, so she settled for the laptop.

As the show picked up from where she had last left off, she reached over with her other hand and grabbed her soda can, and this time chugged the whole can down. She set the can down onto the table with a small clink. Elsa heard the N.N. rush over and grab the can from the table, then hurry to the trash next to the doors and throw it away.

Elsa sighed. She really didn't think it was necessary for the N.N.'s to clean up after her like servants. But the head Nurse Olden insisted that it was healthy for Elsa, both mentally and physically, to be in a clean and well-kept environment. Elsa rolled her eyes.

"Dwight you ignorant slut!"

Elsa laughed out loud at the TV show, and as she did, she heard somebody behind her snort and then clap their hand to their mouth to stifle the laughter. Elsa turned her head slightly towards the N.N., but not enough to look at her directly.

_They're probably bored all day just waiting on me._

Elsa paused the TV show and reached over for the remote, turning on the big screen. She played around with the mouse pad and eventually worked her way through the settings to bring the TV show up onto the big screen. She turned up the volume, and hit play.

* * *

_OH THANK GOD._

Kristen was tightly clutching her mouth with her clammy hand. She had accidentally laughed out loud because of the show and distracted Miss Elsa. She'd thought that the mayor's daughter paused the show on the laptop because of her. She was sure she'd be fired or something.

But Kristen relaxed when she realized Miss Elsa had simply transferred the show to the big screen so both of them could watch.

_That's kind of nice._

She unclenched and removed her hand that had been gripping her mouth. She was grateful for the entertainment, but reminded herself to be cautious and stifle any laughs just in case. Just then she saw Miss Elsa get up from the couch and head towards the bathroom. She hadn't gotten a chance to see her up close yet because the last couple shifts she'd been napping. This was the first time Kristen had seen her awake.

Her frame was slender and petite, but there was something about her gait that made her seem capable and strong. She was wearing grey sweatpants and a plain and comfortable white, low hanging v-cut shirt. Her lush hair was tied into a thick braid that rested on her shoulder. Kristen saw only the side of her face, but that was enough.

_Holy…_

She was stunning, just, absolutely stunning. Kristen now understood why the other two N.N.'s had fallen for her. As she stared at Elsa trudging to the bathroom, she couldn't help but visualize an imaginary sexuality scale tilt significantly towards the other direction.


	20. Panic Attack

"K, I'm ready."

Kristen saw Miss Elsa lay herself down on the massage table with her body facing the ceiling. Miss Elsa picked up the chilled cucumber slices that had been resting on the plate beside her, and put them over her eyes.

"Yes Miss Elsa."

Kristen was extremely nervous as she left her spot in the room and approached the table. This was the first big task that was assigned to her. For the first week all she had to do was pick up after her, which she was able to handle. Now, leaning over Miss Elsa on the massage table, Kristen felt the pressure.

Head nurse practitioner Olden had "prescribed" Elsa a weekly head and shoulder massage to relieve the bodily tensions she accumulates from her anxiety throughout the week. Kristen pulled out the stool that was under the head of the massage table and took a seat. She inhaled and prepared herself. Looking down, she saw that Miss Elsa's face was flawless. Even upside down Miss Elsa's face struck Kristen full of awe, her skin white as snow and her skin without impurities.

_Focus!_

Kristen started by slipping off the hairband that Miss Elsa had been wearing and put it aside. She gently started to undo her braid, loosened the strands and letting her lush hair flow off the massage table. The fresh smell of her hair wafted up to Kristen's nose, and she secretly breathed in as much of the sweet scent as she could. She started massaging her scalp with her fingers and thumbs, kneading and massaging carefully as not to hurt her.

_I could get the hang of this. This isn't so bad._

After a while Kristen started to get into a rhythm. She eventually worked her way down to her neck and kneaded around to find the tight spots. She would first rub the sore spots lightly, then dig in deeper to assuage the knots.

"You're good at this."

Kristen's heart jumped. "Thank you Miss Elsa." She was thrilled. _I'm nailing it! First big task, no problem baby._

"What kind of nurse were you before?"

Kristen cleared her throat. "Ahem, umm, a geriatric nurse. I helped old people…er…not old people I mean, retired people. Er…I mean like…senior citizens." Kristen mentally kicked herself for stupidly stumbling over her words.

"Interesting. You know…you kind of sound like an old friend."

Kristen couldn't believe she was actually carrying a conversation with the future mayor of Arendelle.

"Thank you. I mean…not thank you, but…cool? Er...I mean… I see."

Kristen clenched her jaw in frustration. _Stupid stupid stupid._Then she saw Miss Elsa bring an arm up and lift a cucumber off her eyelid. One eye looked up towards Kristen.

Kristen froze, looking straight down at the eye. She started to breath again when Miss Elsa placed the cucumber slice back onto her eye. "Huh…you're upside down but you kind of look like her too. Actually, nevermind, you probably don't even look like her. I'm imagining it."

Kristen continued to massage, slowly bringing her hands down to Miss Elsa's shoulders. They were very tight. "What do you mean, if you don't mind me asking…your majesty?" _Oh my god are you serious right now…did you just address her as "your majesty?" Why don't you just go ahead bow down and kiss her feet while you're at it._

She felt Miss Elsa's chest rise a bit as she gave a big sigh. "I lost a friend a couple years ago. She died in a fire. After that, I started seeing her everywhere. Anybody that had orange hair, or that resembled her in any way I would go up to her and I would have to stare at her straight in the face to assure myself that it wasn't her. I felt like I was going crazy."

Kristen couldn't help but pause in her massaging and sit still. There was such sadness in her voice, and Kristen felt overcome with sympathy. She felt sorry for Miss Elsa, at such a tragedy she had to go through. "I'm so sorry for your loss Miss Elsa. I'll make sure to give you an extra nice massage today."

Kristen started to massage her shoulders again but was abruptly interrupted by Miss Elsa lifting both her arms to take off the cucumbers.

"You know, you really do sound a lot like her..."

She took of both slices of cucumber off her eyes and sat up, turning around to look straight into her face. Kristen was shocked. This had been the first time Miss Elsa had looked straight at her, and it was overwhelming. Kristen's heart rate started to increase rapidly when she saw Miss Elsa's facial expression start to gradually transition into one she was not prepared for. She felt herself cautiously lean away a bit as she saw Miss Elsa's facial expression turn into one of complete and utter incredulity.

Had she done something wrong? Did she say something to offend her? Kristen start to panic as Miss Elsa 's mouth dropped open, her eyes round with incomprehension.

"A…Anna?"

_What?_Kristen's heart was thumping hard against her chest. She didn't know how to handle the situation. Nurse Olden hadn't warned her of anything like this. She was utterly lost. Her heart dropped to the floor when she saw Miss Elsa's eyes start to brim with tears. She started to reach out a trembling hand towards Kristen. "A-anna?"

Kristen stood up from the stool. She was extremely uncomfortable. As she backed away slowly she tried to dig into her memory to see if she'd been informed of anything about this, but this wasn't a symptom of anything she could remember. _Oh god what is happening what do I do?!_ "M…Miss Elsa. My name is Kr-Kristen. I'm new here."

She saw the older girl get off the massage table and unsteadily make her way towards Kristen, Miss Elsa's eyes glued on her the whole time. She was staring right into Kristen's soul with her blue piercing eyes. Kristen could only stare back as Miss Elsa brought a trembling hand up to Kristen's face. "Anna?"

_Oh my god oh god oh god what is happening. Who is this Anna? Should I back up? Should I call for help? This isn't dangerous is it?_ Kristen gasped as Miss Elsa suddenly gripped her by the shoulders.

"Anna!"

She felt herself being pulled into a huge embrace and was held tightly in Miss Elsa's arms.

"ANNA! Oh my god! Anna! It's me…Elsa!"

She felt herself being thrust back again so that she was face to face with her, Miss Elsa's arms gripping her tightly by the shoulders. She was staring into her eyes, which was now brimming full of tears, her lips were quivering, and Kristen was panicking. "Miss Elsa I'm so s-sorry, my name is Kristen. P-please…"

"Anna! It's me! Elsa! Don't you recognize me?!" Miss Elsa was yelling at this point, her voice trembling. She started shaking Kristen. "Anna! Oh my god!" Miss Elsa yelled. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she gripped Kristen's face within her two hands.

_What am I supposed to do?!_Kristen started to back up away from her again. She couldn't handle the situation. Just then, two bodyguards came barging into the chamber.

"What's the matter? N.N. what did you do?" They came running up to the massage table and violently pulled Kristen away from Miss Elsa.

"NO! STOP! It's Anna!" Miss Elsa cried. She started to make her way towards Kristen again. "Anna!"

The bodyguard held Miss Elsa back from nearing Kristen any closer. He looked at the other bodyguard and said, "The N.N. is agitating Miss Elsa. Remove her from the premises!"

"NO! I COMMAND YOU, BRING HER BACK TO ME!" Miss Elsa shouted as the bodyguard started escorting Kristen out of the room. The other one was holding the mayor's daughter back. "STOP! BRING HER BACK TO ME!"

Suddenly, to Kristen's horror, Miss Elsa began to wheeze. She bent over and started to hyperventilate. Kristen's body went cold.

_She's having a panic attack!_

"I need to go help her! She's having a panic attack!" Kristen tried to struggle her way out of the bodyguard's grip, but he was too strong.

"Let go of me! You don't understand! She needs help right now! This is my job!" Kristen yelled helplessly as she watched Miss Elsa fall to the floor on all fours, heaving in and out with tears still streaming down her face.

"Hurry remove the N.N. from the premises!" The bodyguard yelled to other. He hesitantly started to pat Miss Elsa's back. He was clearly untrained with the situation and didn't know how to help her.

"Assist her with 7-11 breathing, she needs more carbon dioxide! Give her room you idiots!" Kristen roared as she was dragged out of the room. She felt the cold breeze of the hallway whirl around her as the wooden doors closed behind her with a thud.


	21. The Ghost of Anna

"Miss Elsa, I want you to look at the documents again. Really engrain the facts in your head and get them to stick."

Elsa's hands were occupied with a series of formal documents, so she had to lift her arm and use her shoulder to wipe away the tear that was rolling down her cheek. She had recently finished her sobbing and was now going through the dreaded aftermath of sharp and frequent intakes of air. She gave a hiccup and looked crossly at the psychologist that was sitting in front of her. "I get it alright?"

"Elsa, one last time. I want you to fully grasp the evidence and reality of the past."

Elsa sniffed, and finally forced herself to look down at the documents in her hands.

_Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD): Anna Christian Anderson_

She painfully read the specifics of Anna's death. The date of the fire, the cause, the number of deaths in the incident, the degree of her burns. Elsa couldn't believe she had to be doing this again. Her mind had tried to prevent her from thinking about Anna for all these years, building up avoidant behaviors and numbing her down with depression, all to protect herself from the agonizing pain of her loss.

And now, here she was again, forced to face the facts.

She gave a loud scowl to indicate just what torture her psychologist was putting her through. Not receiving a reply, Elsa reluctantly looked at the other set of papers in her hands.

_Kristen Elise Bergesen. Job Title: Geriatric Nurse (R.N), Certified Neurosis Nurse (N.N.)_

Elsa scanned her employee information, resume, and a copy of her birth certificate. She turned the page to find an employee I.D. photo. She brought the picture up close to her face to examine it.

_Anna._

"Her name is Kristen." The voice of her psychologist was irking her. Elsa ground her teeth.

"Say her name Miss Elsa. Kristen Bergesen."

"Ugggh…" Elsa scowled again. She was frustrated beyond belief. She knew that she was unstable at times, but this girl looked exactly like Anna. She looked older and slightly different, but the resemblance was outrageously similar.

"Look at her doc! Can't you see it?!" She thrust the papers toward her psychologist, demanding for her to take a look. But her psychologist remained still with her legs crossed one over the other, a pen in hand and pad of paper on her lap.

"Miss Elsa, can I tell you a quick story?"

Elsa didn't reply.

"It's about the history of fingerprints. About a hundred years ago, a man named Will West was sentenced to jail. When he arrived at the penitentiary, the records clerk was confused because he thought he'd processed him two years ago. The record clerk asked Will West if he'd ever been to jail before, which he replied he hadn't. So the record clerk looked his name up in the filing system and found a William West, who looked identical to Will West in the photographs in every aspect."

The psychologist paused, letting Elsa process the story.

"So, it turns out that they were two different people, but they looked exactly alike. The method they'd been using to identify people was scrapped and it didn't take the authorities long to turn to fingerprinting."

Elsa huffed out some air in frustration and threw her backside into the armchair she was sitting in. She was annoyed at Dr. O'Meara, but knew deep down that she was right. She was fighting with logic and evidence. She was angry at her reality right now. She was trying to fight against the past and she was angry for continuing to disappoint herself.

The psychologist uncrossed her legs and leaned forward in her seat, and spoke with a softer and gentler tone. "Miss Elsa, the hardest part is to accept what has happened. It is a painful realization to fully accept that your dear friend Anna has passed away and is gone. The process has been taking a while and will continue to be a difficult task, but as I have said before, for now I just want you to be open to the idea. You don't have to force yourself to accept it, but just keep in mind that sooner or later, it is best for you to do so."

Elsa stared down at her papers, tired of hearing the same thing over and over again but painfully cringing at the daunting and impossible nature of the task. The psychologist spoke again. "I think it's best we let Kristen go and find a new N.N. to take over, yes?"

"NO."

Elsa herself was startled at the abruptness of her reply. "Er, I'm sorry but…I'd like to apologize to her for my behavior. It's only been a week and she didn't do anything wrong." Elsa looked down at her employee I.D. photo. "And, it might be good for me, as a process, to perhaps accept that the N.N. is not Anna but Kristen…maybe it'll help me move towards accepting Anna's death?"

The psychologist gave her a doubtful look, and then looked at the ground to carefully choose her next words. "Miss Elsa, I am not one to force you to do anything. I've found it that it is damaging and unhelpful to force patients into doing anything against their will, because they feel they are being controlled and thus feel helpless. As you probably know, they become stubborn and are less apt to bring about the essential positive changes in their lives."

Elsa looked at the psychologist pause and search the floor again, preparing to be extra careful with what she would be saying next. "So this will be your decision, this relationship with Kristen. As your mental health professional, I want to advise you to take caution and be mindful of your thoughts when you are around her. I want you to keep in mind that she is indeed Kristen and not Anna."

The psychologist made sure Elsa was looking into her eyes to emphasize the importance of what she said next.

"Because potentially, if not cautious, the affiliation you will have with Kristen may end up not only leaving you _more_ dejected and distraught, but there is also a great chance that you will end up deeply hurting Kristen as well.

* * *

She was more nervous than she had been on her first day. Kirsten was sure they were going to fire her. She was shaken so heavily after the incident that she couldn't eat for a whole day. She couldn't get the image of Miss Elsa's eyes out of her head and the pain that she'd seen in them.

"How many more minutes?" she asked the bodyguard. He looked down at his watch.

"About three."

"Thank you."

The tension between her and the bodyguards was there, because of what went down the other day. She supposed she had no good reason to be upset with them though. They were just trying to do their jobs.

Kristen observed the sturdy wooden doors before her and took in the intricate designs and patterns. Her mind started to wander to lunch earlier that day.

"_I can't believe you got a code red already…" Heidi's face was full of astonishment at the story Kristen had just told her._

"_Yea I was totally freaking out. I couldn't even help her because of the stupid bodyguards. I don't' know what happened to her after that. This next shift will be my first one since."_

_Heidi took a bite out her sandwich and said with a full mouth, "She mustf relly 'iked dis Anna grl."_

"_Yea…must have," Kristen said thoughtfully as she looked down at her plate. She hadn't touched her sandwich yet._

"_Maybe she was trying to cop a feel," Heidi said as she threw a chip into her mouth._

"_Heidi!" Kristen couldn't hold back a small grin as she playfully nudged Heidi on the arm._

"_I'm going to call it. You're going to be N.N. number three that gets laid off."_

"_Heidi!"_

"_It's gunna be either you or me. Man I would gladly slather my tongue all over that-"_

Kristen heard the familiar beeping of the bodyguard's watch.

"You're up."

She held her breath as the bodyguard slowly opened the doors. A familiar N.N. came through and they both nodded their heads to acknowledge each other.

_Position position position…_

Kristen entered the chamber and almost ran to her designated position in the room. When she arrived she felt a pair of eyes on her and looked up to find Miss Elsa standing behind the couch, staring at her.

Her heart was pounding hard. She quickly looked down at her feet, remembering she was to nod her head in reverence.

She heard Miss Elsa clear her voice. "Uhm…N-Nurse Bergesen?"

Kristen held her breath, and looked up. "Yes, your majesty?"

_Oh jesus Kristen really!? Again?! "Your majesty"!?_

For a moment both just stared at each other, at a loss for words.

"Uhm…will you…come here?"

_Oh god…_

Kristen obeyed and walked slowly towards Miss Elsa. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to keep her head down, but just to be safe she did. But she regretted the decision because just as she neared Miss Elsa she accidentally ran her foot into the coffee table.

Kristen tried her best to maintain a stoic face as the pain sizzled in her foot.

"Are you okay?" Miss Elsa started walking towards her.

"Oh yes. I'm fine. I've always been clumsy, so I'm used to it. Thank you Miss Elsa." Kristen looked up to see Miss Elsa looking down at her with worried and nervous eyes.

"Oh alright…As long as you're fine."

They both stood still in silence once more. Kristen brought up her hand to coil any loose strands of hair behind her ear.

"Uhmm…if I have your permission to speak freely, I would like to profusely apologize for what happened the other day, Miss Elsa."

"Please, come, sit down with me." Kristen wiped her sweaty palm on her pants just before Miss Elsa reached out and gently took Kristen by the arm, leading her to the sofa.

They both sat down on the sofa facing each other, leaving an appropriate amount of space between them. Kristen felt it was alright to look at Miss Elsa in the eyes now, since she was being addressed to, but just as she looked up at her, a pang of sorrow hit Kristen in the chest. She'd never seen anyone look so sad and inconsolable. She wanted to give her a big hug.

"I'm the one who should be apologizing, Nurse Bergesen." Miss Elsa was fiddling with her heart locket nervously. "I'm sorry about what happened. As you've probably learned, I…have some issues that I'm trying to deal with. It's just that, you look _so_ much…like _her."_

Miss Elsa was gazing straight into Kristen's eyes, and it was overwhelming but she couldn't help but stare back. Her gaze was scorching into Kristen's soul, her eyes searching for some kind of explanation or a sign of familiarity from Kristen.

Kristen finally shot her head down and gazed into her lap, unable to handle the intensity.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm probably making you uncomfortable," she heard Miss Elsa say apologetically.

"No Miss Elsa. Not at all…"

"Call me Elsa."

Kristen looked up to see Miss Elsa give her an earnest look. "Please?"

"Oh, um, are you sure? I'm not sure, if I'm comf-"

"How about I call you Kristen, and you can call me Elsa."

She wasn't sure about this. It was much too intimate to address the mayor's daughter so casually, and would she get into trouble? But the expression on Miss Elsa's face was pleading. She didn't just want to change how they addressed each other. She wanted a friend.

"If you wish, Miss….I mean, Elsa."

The feeling of saying her name plainly already made Kristen feel closer to her. She liked it, although she felt amazingly privileged doing so.

There was another still silence.

"So…tell me about yourself."

Kristen was shocked Elsa wanted to know about her, a nobody. She started to ramble nervously.

"Oh um, well I live with my dog and boyfriend and his father. His name is Sven, er, the dog's name is Sven. He's a Chihuahua and really annoying, really yappy, should've picked another dog from the pound. I'm just kidding though…anyways yea, we live on the outskirts of Arendelle around an hour away from here, but the commute isn't that bad and thank you for providing the…the…for providing us the commute reimbursements we appreciate that, your grace…I mean your…I mean Elsa."

_Your grace!? God pull yourself together!_

Kristen shut herself up to prevent further embarrassment.

Elsa was reading and searching Kristen, her eyes seemingly taking in as much of her as she could. They sat again in silence for a moment. Then, Elsa softly cleared her throat. "D-do you mind, if…would it be too forward, if I hugged you right now?"

Kristen eyes widened. "Oh um…of course. I mean yes of course you may."

Elsa moved over onto the sofa so that she was right in front of Kristen now. Heart pounding in her chest, Kristen watched as Elsa slowly brought her arms around her, embracing her.

_The mayor's daughter is hugging me. The future mayor is hugging me. The mayor of Arendelle is hugging me…_

She felt Elsa pull her in tighter. She smelled so nice, like fresh soap. She oddly felt very safe and secure in her arms, regardless of the fact that she'd only just sort of met her.

Suddenly Kristen heard a sniff.

_Oh no she's crying!_

Elsa gave another sniff as she hugged Kristen tighter. Kristen did not know what to do or how to console her.

_Should I pat her on the back? Should I ask her if she's okay? What should I do?!_

With the next sniff, Kristen began to feel a powerful sense of sorrow seep into her. Her sympathy had made it so that she felt Elsa's anguish right in her own heart, as if Elsa's sadness were being spread throughout her own body. Kristen was overcome with heartache. Her heart ached for this poor young girl who had suffered such a loss, who was experiencing such a difficult time simply trying to get through life every day.

Kirsten felt her eyes start to water. She desperately wanted to embrace Elsa, to let her know that she was there for her. Kristen brought up one arm and wrapped it around Elsa's waist. Elsa responded by pulling her in tighter, and Kristen accommodated by wrapping her other arm around the waist.

Both girls sat tightly embraced in each other's arms, and silently wept.


	22. Kirby

_*GASP!*_

Kristoff violently shot upward from the bed. He heard a yelp. Gasping for air, Kristoff breathed in and out, trying to calm himself down. He had just woken up from his dream. He looked down and saw his shirt was damp with sweat. He had the nightmare again. He hated napping in the daytime. That's when they usually occurred.

Looking at the food to his bed, he saw Sven sulking with his tail under his body. "Sorry little guy." Sven liked to sleep on Kristoff's chest, but occasionally, when Kristoff had his recurring nightmare he would unintentionally throw little Sven off his chest when he bolted upwards upon abruptly waking up.

"Nightmare again?" Kristen said as she looked back at him in the body length reflection mirror. She was getting ready for work.

Kristoff wiped some sweat off his forehead. "Yea." He peered over at Kristen who was currently pantless and pulling on her blue dress shirt.

"You better not be looking!"

"I'm no~t."

Taking a deep breath in, Kristoff sat up and leaned against the bed frame. He had told her that his nightmares were of him being chased by some kind of beast. But really, his nightmares were of Kristen regaining her memory. He heard her happily humming to herself. "You've been very upbeat these days, an extra kick in your step kind of thing…" Kristoff safely looked over to Kristen, who had just pulled up her white dress pants.

Kristen didn't look back. She was busy putting on her cufflinks. "Oh..haha yea I suppose. I love my new job."

"What did you say it was again?"

"Um, clinical geriatric care. It's fun because the hospital let's us play video games with the seniors. Cool right?"

"Uhmm yea I guess."

It didn't sound _that _fun to Kristoff. He guessed it was a nurse thing.

"I'll see you later tonight. Eat dinner without me okay? Love you." She leaned into kiss Kristoff on the cheek, but he turned his face to quickly catch her lips.

"Bye feisty pants."

Watching her exit the trailer home door, he couldn't help but feel like there was something she wasn't telling him. He really wasn't comfortable with her taking a part time job in Arendelle, but couldn't tell her not to take the job, because it seemed like she really like it. He heard Sven yapping from the kitchen.

"One second, let me get dressed first you lil' rat."

Kristoff grudgingly peeled himself off the bed and went to the closet to look for his colonial musician outfit for tonight's gig at Mystery World.

* * *

"HAHA oh my gosh it's so cute I'm dying!"

Elsa and Kristen were sitting on the couch in front of the big screen playing super smash brothers. Kristen had chosen one of the cutest characters, Kirby, and had used it's sucking skill to suck up Samus and spit it out, morphing the Kirby itself into a small pink Samus imitation.

Elsa felt slightly annoyed at the Kirby. She hated when it did that. Now the Kirby was able to shoot fireballs just like Samus could, which was one of the reasons why Elsa liked Samus so much. Kirsten had gotten good at the game very fast.

"It won't be like that for long…" Elsa smirked as she controlled Samus, commanding it to start punching the Kirby. "H-hey come back!"

Kristen had maneuvered the Kirby upwards, using its floating skills to bob it's way out of Samus's reach. "Haha try and catch me sucka…"

She heard Kristen gasp and whip her head to look at Elsa. "Oh my god I'm sorry I mean…I didn't mean to call you a sucka…or a sucker…I just got caught up in the moment and-"

Sensing a moment of vulnerability, Elsa took the opportunity to shoot a flaming cannon at Kirby, making it sail into the distance until it was a small pink speck.

"Winner! Samus!" The male voice cried from the game.

Elsa tried to hide her smile as she watched Kristen form her mouth into a pout. "Hey…"

"Haha, that's what you get for calling me a 'sucka'."

She saw Kristen bite her lip. "Ack I'm so sorry I-"

"No, I was just joking. I really don't care. In fact, I may have just liked it a little bit." Elsa saw some relief wash over Kristen's face. "Another game?"

"You betcha. Boy I'm really getting the hang of this. Maybe today I'll beat you," Kristen said brightly.

Elsa chuckled as she started up a new game, watching Kristen immediately choose Kirby in the character-choosing menu.

It was uncanny, the resemblance, her mannerisms, the way she laughed, the way her eyes sparkled with optimism. Everything. She _was _Anna.

And yet she wasn't.

_She's not Anna. She's Kristen. _Elsa reminded herself over and over.

_But it is her..._

There was something somebody wasn't telling her. Was this some kind of sick joke? Anna was right in front of her, back from the dead. Was she hallucinating? Was her mind playing tricks on her again?

"_Your mind sees what it wants to see, Miss Elsa." _Her psychologist's voice rang through her mind.

"I-I think I need to take a break." Elsa realized she'd been breathing shallowly and had been taking in too much oxygen. She felt dizzy, and started to feel her anxiety elevate.

"Elsa are you alright?" Kristen stopped playing and looked anxiously at Elsa, who leaned back into the couch and closed her eyes.

"Yes, I just…I'm feeling a bit woozy."

"Is it your anxiety?"

"I think so…"

She heard the nurse throw her console down and take her hand.

"Alright Miss-I mean just Elsa. Just remember your breathing. Inhale slowly, pause, then exhale slowly. Would you like some guided meditation?"

Elsa nodded her head.

"Alright, hmm…let me think."

She heard Kirsten clicking her tongue in thought. "You're not agoraphobic are you? Fear of open spaces? Because that might be bad with what I'm about to narrate."

Elsa gave an amused smile as she slowly exhaled her breath. She shook her head.

"Perfect. Okay here we go."

Elsa heard Kristen pause for a moment to take a deep breath in. Then she began speaking in a soft, calm voice that sent chills down her spine the moment she began.

"Imagine your breaths. Imagine them taking on their own form as you inhale the good, and exhale the worry and anxiety away. With each breath, you begin to feel lighter as if your breaths are filtering out the heaviness inside you."

Kristen paused to let the imagery settle itself in Elsa's mind.

"This time, right now, is just for you and nobody else. It's your time to place yourself in the present moment and forget the past and the future. Allow yourself to have this time. Feel your chest and stomach slowly rise and fall with each breath that graces your body."

Elsa obeyed, focusing on her breaths as they slowly filled the bottom of her lungs and as they reached up to the top of her chest. She still felt anxious, but a bit calmer. She waited for Kristen to start speaking again.

"Now, imagine yourself walking up to a body of water. It's a spring day. A warm, gentle breeze blows across your body. You look up and notice you are at the edge of a fjord. Mountainous cliffs surround and protect you with their overflowing greenery. You look down and step your feet into the water, which is crystal clear and clean enough to drink. The cold water feels refreshing contrasted with the warm spring day. A little fish swims by and you stand still so you don't scare it away. The little fish, thinking one of your toes may be a small meal, starts softly nibbling at it. It feels ticklish as it softly sucks at your toe with its itty bitty mouth."

Elsa grinned, imagining a confused little fish trying to nibble at her toe. She stepped back out of the water, and turned around, noticing a field of healthy and flourishing grass wheat behind her. She walked over to it, and the grass felt cool under her bare feet. She laid herself down and grabbed a handful of lush grass between her fingers. The-

Kristen stopped talking as Elsa opened her eyes and heard her chamber doors being opened. She turned around to find another one of her N.N.'s peeking in. Kristen's shift was over, and was filled with disappointment when she let go of her hand. "Oh well, I guess that's my shift. That went by pretty fast." Kristen started getting up from the couch.

"Wait, are you hungry?" Elsa looked out into the window and figured it was around dinnertime. She heard Kristen hesitate.

"Oh um, are _you_ hungry? I mean, wait what?" Kristen was not expecting such a question.

Elsa made her request clearer. "Do you want to go out and eat something?"

She saw Kirsten hesitate, not knowing what to say.

Elsa looked at her. "Nurse Olden says that getting out of the chateâu and getting some fresh air is good for me. Will you go with me, Nurse Bergesen?" Elsa hated going anywhere, and especially hated it when it was mandatory that she go to diplomatic stuff. But at this moment, she felt lighter and different.

"I-I'd be honored, of course Elsa."

Elsa was immediately excited. She looked up to the bodyguards. "Tell transportation to get my ride ready. I'll be having dinner out tonight, with a friend."


	23. Shrimp Hut

"It'll be an hour wait."

"What?!"

Kristen peered into the restaurant behind the hostess. It was packed full of people.

"It's okay, we can wait," she heard Elsa chime in behind her. Kristen felt bad. Elsa had insisted that Kristen choose where they go tonight, and she picked one of her favorite restaurants in Arendelle, Shrimp Hut. But she'd forgotten just how popular it was, especially during dinnertime.

Kristen puffed up her chest. "Well, what if I told you…that you have, right here, in front of you…the one and only future mayo-"

"We'll wait," Elsa quickly piped in, and she felt herself being pulled away from the podium.

"But…but they'd probably sit you down just like that if we told-"

"Probably, but…it's fine. We can wait." They walked past the line of people waiting on the inside benches, and made their wait outside amongst the scattered groups of people waiting for their names to be called.

They situated themselves in a less crowded area a few feet from the doors. She saw Elsa cross her arms and look down at the ground to admire her shoes, a common body posture for people with anxiety. It was the first time Kristen had seen Elsa in everyday clothing. She had on tight black jeans, fancy black boots, and a nice and a fashion forward looking long-sleeved collared shirt. Kristen suddenly sympathized with the two N.N.'s that recently got fired. It must have been hard for them to resist themselves. She quickly brushed away the thought. "Uhmm, so…wanna play a game while we wait?" She wanted to make Elsa's trip out as pleasant as possible.

"Uhh…a game?"

"Yea, here I'll show you." Kristen started to explain the first game that popped into her head. She grabbed Elsa by the arms and placed her directly in front of herself, so that they were about a foot away from each other.

"Okay, so this is how it goes. You plant your feet down firm in front of the other person, like we're doing now. You lose if you move your feet in any way. So the goal is to try to get the other person to lift their feet off of the ground. You try to knock 'em down or get them off balance by using only your hands and arms."

Kristen put up her hands up in front of her chest and out to the side a bit with her palms facing Elsa. "So you put your hands up…" She waited for Elsa to mimic her hand position.

"So…you put your hands up…" When Elsa did not follow, she took Elsa's hands and put them up for her.

"Okay so you put your hands up, and the only place you can shove or slap or push the other person to try to get them off balance is the palm of their hands." Kristen gave a small shove into Elsa's left hand, causing Elsa's body to lean back a bit. Kristen pushed it a bit harder, causing Elsa to take a step back.

"See, so you just lost, because I pushed you off balance so that you had to take a step back. Do you get it?"

She saw Elsa looking unsure. "I think so?"

"Alright, you wanna give it a test run?"

"Sure."

Elsa stepped back into her position directly in front of Kristen. Kristen saw both of Elsa's hands quickly coming towards hers, but quickly she moved them apart so that Elsa missed, causing Elsa's body to lean forward a bit. "Haha. See I don't even have to touch you and you might lose your balance by thrusting yourself too forcefully, and if you miss and step forward, you lose!"

Elsa grinned, and her face flickered with competitiveness.

Anna smiled. "Ready for round one?"

"Let's do it."

The game started with Kristen quickly slapping Elsa's palms with her own, surprising and teasing her a bit. "Watch out, I move fast."

She saw Elsa grin and her eyebrows furrow in competitive concentration. She saw her going for her left arm and as Elsa was about to quickly push at it, Kristen swung it out of the way, causing Elsa to lose her balance and lean forward. Elsa flailed her arm to try to balance herself, but she stepped forward."I win! Haha it's fun huh…"

Elsa gave a wide grin. "Yea, it is. Let's do it again."

"Okay round two!"

Elsa was enthused with the game now, determined to win. Kristen attempted to push Elsa backwards by aiming her palms at hers, but Elsa quickly dropped them and caused Kristen to almost step forward, but she gained her balanced back and reset herself. Elsa slapped Kristen's right hand, causing her to lean back. "Ooo you're getting the hang of this aren't you Miss Elsa." Kristen beamed. She couldn't believe she was hanging out with her. She was having a blast.

Kristen made an aggressive attempt for her left palm, but Elsa swiftly veered it out of the way, and she suddenly felt gravity pulling down at her as her body leaned forward, and she was unable to balance herself. She realized she had thrown her hand too hard, and was now falling straight into Elsa's body.

"Ooph!"

To her dismay, Kristen had completely fallen straight into Elsa, who was now holding her up to prevent from both of them from falling backwards. Her face started to grow hot. She realized she had embarrassingly gripped onto Elsa's supple chest area when falling, and quickly pulled herself off. "Oh god I'm so sorry!"

Elsa laughed. "Don't worry about it, we're having fun. I win! Round three?"

"Let's go!"

They reset themselves in their positions and put their palms up. Elsa got more confident as she slapped both of Kristen's palms, but not hard enough to push her back. Kristen collected herself and quickly rebounded, throwing her arms forward towards Elsa's palms. Elsa learned quickly though as she threw her palms downward so that Kristen missed completely. Unstable and trying to balance herself, Kristen was leaning forward when suddenly Elsa shot her palms up and into Kristen's, causing Kristen's body to be thrown backwards. Kristen attempted to balance herself with her arms and flailed them in front of her, but to her horror her hand flung straight Elsa's face, socking her in the chin.

"Ahhh!" Kristen screamed, from falling backwards and because she'd just hit royalty. She quickly took a huge step back and caught herself. She turned all her attention to Elsa, who was clutching her chin.

_OH GOD I just hit the mayor! I hit the mayor in the face!_

"ELSA oh my god I'm so sorry! Are you alright? I don't even know why I suggested this game, with me being so clumsy! Are you okay?"

Kristen was met with a wall of laughter as Elsa started cracking up. "Hahaha oh my god this is the most ridiculous game I've ever played. But it's amazingly fun."

Elsa's eyes glimmered with life. Kristen felt her heart melt. She'd never seen Elsa laugh so brightly before "Are…are you alright though? I'm so sorry."

"I'm completely fine. Don't worry about it. In fact, I'm great, because it looks like I won." Elsa beamed down at Kristen, who couldn't help but let a wide grin spread across on her own face.

"Kristen…party of 2…" The hostess was leaning out of the restaurant calling for them.

Kristen was impressed. "Wow, that was faster than I thought."

Before going in, Elsa said, "I think I'm going to go to the restroom first. Will you order for me, since you know more about this place?"

"Sure. Don't be too long because the food comes up right after you order."

"Alright."

They both walked in together, but Elsa went to the left to go to the bathroom while Kristen continued to follow the hostess to their table. The place was swimming with seafood fanatics. Right as she was seated, a waiter came up with a pad and pencil, ready to take their order. "What can I get for you?"

Kristen knew what she was going to order. She and Erik had a usual here. "Can I get two ice cold waters, two pounds of shrimp, four corns, four potatoes, and for the sauce…I'll just take the whole shebang."

The waiter quickly jotted down the order. "You got it. Bibs?"

"Yes please."

"Coming right up."

Kristen felt excited. She wondered if any of the people here would recognize Elsa. She couldn't believe she was having dinner with her. Alone!

Just then she saw Elsa coming towards the area. Kristen waved to let her know where she was. Elsa waved back and made her way towards the table. As Elsa sat down, she started to speak excitedly. "You'll never guess what just I saw. There was a girl in the bathroom with her face and hands covered with-"

"Here are some bibs, 2 pounds of shrimp, four potatoes, four corn on the cob, the whole shebang…enjoy." The waiter dropped onto the table a clear plastic bag that was full of the ingredients he had just listed, seeping in a pool of red sauce consisted of different spices and scents. The table they were sitting at had a large paper cover over it, enveloping the whole top of the table. Kristen quickly took a plastic bib and tied it around her neck. She took the bag before both of them and started to open it, letting a billow of steam rise up from the bag. She took a big whiff.

"Smells good! Let's eat!" She folded in the outer edges of the plastic bag so that it was easier to reach into. She grabbed a shrimp that was resting on the top of the assortment and shucked its head off. She brought the head to her mouth and started to suck the juices out. She left the shrimp head hanging out of her mouth and started to peel off the outer skin of the shrimp body, starting a small pile on the paper tablecloth.

"-sauce..."

Kristen looked up to see Elsa gawking at her with her mouth gaped open. She felt the shrimp head fall out of her mouth and plop onto the table.

Kristen stared back at Elsa's utterly baffled face. She then realized that Elsa had probably spent most of her life eating meals prepared by the government chef. Her meals were most likely eaten extremely properly with utensils, napkins, and table manners.

"Ummm…" Kristen felt slightly embarrassed as she set down the half-peeled shrimp. "So you probably have never been here before…huh…"

Elsa gave a slow nod. She sat and stared at the heaping jumble of food in front of them.

Kristen figured the mayor's daughter might need some assistance. She cleaned off the sauce that had been dribbling down her chin, and cleared her throat. "Uhmm okay so, this place, you can eat with your hands. Actually most people eat with their hands. It's really casual." Kristen opened the bag wider so Elsa could have a better look inside. "So you have your main dish, which is the shrimp. Then you have your corn and potatoes, which are like your side dishes. You bite into each of 'em. The table is your plate. You can just leave your eaten corn cob and shrimp shell peels on the table in a pile, like most people do."

Kirsten felt uneasy as Elsa hesitantly peered into the bag and touched her neck uncomfortably. Had she picked a bad place? "Yea, so you take a shrimp." Kristen reached in and took a shrimp out to use as a demonstration. "You first take the head off. Some people like the juices in the head, but some don't. It's all up to you." She set aside the head and held up the body, with all its little arms facing upwards. She thought she heard a loud gulp from Elsa.

"It's really easy to peel these things, once you get the hang of it. It's like peeling an orange, almost." She started peeling the shell of the shrimp. She eventually had the flesh protein part cleaned off. "So once you have it all shelled off, you can dip it back into the bag to cover it with the sauce. See?" Kristen brought the shrimp back into the bag, dipping and smothering it in the sauce.

"And then you eat it." She took the saucy shrimp out of the bag and brought it towards Elsa's mouth, standing up in her seat to lean forward. Elsa's eyes bulged as she stared at the shrimp. Kristen held a hand under the shrimp to prevent any sauce from dripping onto Elsa's lap.

Elsa looked up at Kristen with round eyes.

"Well, try it."

Kristen brought the shrimp closer to Elsa's mouth. She was relieved when Elsa opened it, letting her place the shrimp into her mouth. She closed it and started to chew.

"Here, try some corn..and potatoes."

She quickly reached into the bag again and pulled out a small potato chunk. She held it in front of Elsa's mouth, and Elsa obeyed, opening her mouth to take a small bite of the piece of potato. Kristen then set aside the potato on the table in front of Elsa and reached into the bag and pulled out a corn on the cob half. She held one hand under it so the sauce wouldn't drip and brought it to Elsa's face. Elsa took a small nibble of corn, her full mouth not being able to take in much more.

Kristen sat back down and observed in anticipation. She watched an uncertain Elsa chew thoughtfully. She saw her swallow.

"So, how was it? If you don't like it, we can totally go somewhere else."

Kristen was on the edge of her seat. Then, Elsa gave a small smile. "I like it."

Kristen's heart soared. "It's good right? I'm so glad you like it! Here have another shrimp." She reached into the bag and pulled out a fat shrimp and handed it over to Elsa. Elsa's eyes bulged again, clearly not ready for the next big step.

"Do you want me to peel it? I can peel the-"

"No, i-it's okay, I'll give it try."

Elsa brought up her thumb and index finger and very delicately took the shrimp from Kristen's fingers. She dropped it on the table in front of her and stared at it for a moment as if it were a daunting final exam.

Kristen almost forgot about the bib. "Oh, don't forget to put on your bib. It gets messy."

Elsa quickly reached over and hurriedly tied on the bib, as if the shrimp was going to get up and start shaking off its sauce like a dog would shake water off its body.

Thinking that Elsa might feel under pressure, Kristen looked down and started to eat. She took out a shrimp and corn for herself. She observed Elsa in the corner of her eye.

Elsa poked at it. She looked up at Kristen, who held up her own shrimp to demonstrate once more about how to break the head off. She saw Elsa taking a deep breath, and then pick up the shrimp with both sets of thumb and index fingers and finally rip the head off.

"Yay!" Kristen smiled. Elsa gave a small nervous smile back.

She slowly worked her way down the shrimp's body, using her two little fingers to pry the small exoskeleton off the shrimp. Eventually she finally had it naked.

"Now take it for a dip."

Elsa peered into the bag and searched for a pool of sauce. She carefully dipped it into the sauce, and then brought the shrimp into her mouth.

"Congratulations. You're a natural." Kristen was glad.

Soon, Elsa had gotten more comfortable. She had resorted to using most of her fingers, although after every shrimp she had to use a napkin to wipe the sauce off her fingers and lips. She had garnered quite a pile of used napkins. She eventually got through two potatoes, a corn, and looking at the pile of shrimp shells next to her, Kristen could tell she had gotten to at least eight or ten shrimps.

Kristen was full. She was content and was in a pretty good mood. She was glad that Elsa had enjoyed Shrimp Hut, and that she enjoyed her company enough to go to dinner with her. Elsa had actually gone outside of her chamber too, and perhaps it was because she felt comfortable and safe around Kristen. She felt like she was actually fulfilling her duties as an N.N..

She compared the two sides of the tables. Her shell pile was much bigger than Elsa's, but there was still about a pound of shrimp left in the bag. Kristen realized that Erik ate much more than Elsa, and that she had ordered a bit too much.

She looked up at Elsa, who too seemed quite full. She had some sauce on the corner of her lip. "Elsa you have some sauce right there."

"Where…here?"

"No..other side."

"Here? Is it gone?"

"No a little lower…"

"Did I get it?"

"Here, let me get it."

She got up and sat herself down next to Elsa. She ripped off a paper towel from the roll and dabbed it into the water cup, then brought it to where the sauce was on Elsa's face.

She gently cleaned it away. Boy, was her skin flawless. Strangely, Kristen felt her face grow warm again.

"Okay got it." Kristen started to get up.

"Er…you have some sauce too."

"I do?" Kristen sat back down next to Elsa.

"Where?"

"Uhmm….sort of…everywhere." Elsa giggled.

"Oh...oh geez." Kristen took the same paper towel and doused it into the cup. She vigorously rubbed it across her chin and mouth. She pulled it away and was embarrassed to find a lot of red sauce had washed off onto the towel.

"Wow I am one messy eater." She heard Elsa chuckle. Just then, Kristen saw something small on the table in front of her and looked down to see a mini shrimp on the paper table cover. "Haha, Elsa…look at this tiny shrimp!" She picked it up and held it towards Elsa for her to see.

"Ew, I know I saw it in there and pulled it out. I dunno why but that one looked really gross. The smaller they are grosser they look."

Amused, Kristen said, "It's like a baby shrimp! Isn't it cute? Look at them little eyes"

"Ick…get it away. It's so small and…buggy." Elsa started edging away from Kristen.

"Oh really? You don't like bugs?" Kristen slowly inched the mini shrimp towards Elsa.

"No I don't, and don't you dare…"

Kristen grinned as she moved the shrimp closer. Elsa had reached the edge of her bench and almost fell off but she swung her arms and caught the edge of the table just in time. Elsa laughed. "Anna! You little-"

Elsa stopped herself, and Kristen froze. They looked at each other, both stunned. Elsa's face fell at her mistake. "Oh s-shit, sorry Kristen. I didn't mean to…it, it was just the slip of the tongue."

Kristen felt her spirit die a little. "Oh no, don't even worry about it. I mean, sometimes people do that, you know? I understand, it's totally nothing."

Kristen went back to the other side of the table and sat on her bench, setting the mini shrimp aside.

There was an awkward silence between them. She didn't know what to say. She could tell Elsa was disappointed in herself.

Seeing the waiter about to pass their table, Kristen waved him down.

"Check please."


	24. An Evening Slumber

"Haha, your turn to chug it!"

Elsa groaned. Kristen had gotten exponentially better since the last time they'd played. "I can't believe your annoying little Kirby is beating my Samus," she said as she reached over to the 8-pack of cream sodas and tugged one off the plastic.

Around three empty cans were littered around the sofa. They made it so that whoever lost had to chug a soda. Elsa had already lost twice.

"It's the power of pink," Kirsten replied, watching Kirby do it's victory dance.

Before Elsa faced her punishment, she stole a glance at Kristen's side view. She was as beautiful as Anna. These past few weeks had been utterly complicated and mystifying. Her mind was unable to comprehend her reality. She couldn't decide if she was treating Kristen as if she were Anna, or if she were merely treating her as…Kristen the N.N.. The inner conflict was unbearable when Kristen was away. Elsa found herself missing Anna more than ever, but when Kristen's shift came around she felt as if a part of Anna had returned and everything was alright for those couple hours. Sometimes Elsa felt like it was too much. She saw Anna, or Kristen turn her head back to look at her.

"Alright, here we go…again." Elsa popped the top of the can, letting the carbon fizzle for a bit. Then she leaned her head back and started to chug down the fizzy soda. She felt some liquid escape the rim and dribble down to her chest. She then felt Kristen's finger run it's way up her chest where the open part of her v-neck was to clean off the dribble. Highly startled at her touch, Elsa choked and spewed soda right onto Kristen's face.

Through her violent coughing attack Elsa helplessly watched Kristen stare blankly at her with large round eyes, soda glistening all over her face. "I'm, _*COUGH COUGH*_ so-_*COUGH*_-ry!"

The soda had finally lodged it's way out of the wrong pipe. "My bad…I'm so sorry!"

Elsa quickly looked around to find something to wash the soda off her face, but she couldn't find anything. Before she knew it she was taking off her white v-neck over her head. She had a ton of them. She rolled it up into a ball and started dabbing Kristen's face with it.

Kristen just sat, blinking at Elsa, not knowing what to do. Elsa saw her face start to turn pink.

_Oops…_

She was making her uncomfortable. She saw Kristen look down and tuck her hair behind her ear.

_Ugh why don't you ever think you moron?_

As she saw Kristen's face transition into a bright red, she quickly got up and headed to her closet.

"Sorry about that, it's the first thing that popped into my mind to clean you off! Lemme' put something on. Sorry that was probably inappropriate."

_Nice going…_

She went into her closet and pulled out a light blue v-neck and threw it on. Nothing got on her sweatpants so she left them on. She heard her bathroom sink turn on. Kristen was probably cleaning herself off.

They both came out into the chamber at the same time. She saw Kristen meander over to the grand piano and lift up the key cover, and Elsa made her way over to her. "I haven't played this thing in years," she said as she approached the piano. She saw Kirsten run her hands over keys, eventually pressing one of them down softly. "Why not?"

Elsa reached up to touch her heart locket. "Umm, I just haven't felt like playing it. It's not interesting to me anymore. That's all."

Kristen pulled out the piano bench and sat down on the left side. She patted the open spot next to her, and looked up at Elsa. "Play something."

Elsa was hesitant. She found that playing the piano sometimes re-opened her wounds and made them tender and sore again. She saw that Kristen's eyes were pleading.

_I just won't play Anna's songs._

"Yayy~" Kristen gave a soft cheer as Elsa sat herself down on the bench.

Elsa twisted her head to the left and right, cracking her neck. She cracked her knuckles, and then wiggled her fingers above the keys. She started off pounding down a couple chords, then ran some scales and arpeggios to warm up. Then, without stopping, she transitioned into one of the happiest songs she knew, The Entertainer.

She heard the young girl giggle next to her. She sped things up and transitioned into The Bumblebee. She was surprised at herself. Her fingers still had perfect rote memory of the songs. She stopped abruptly and decided to slow things down. She started playing Clair de Lune. She wanted to show Kristen the range of styles she could play.

"Aww I like this one" Kristen said dreamily.

_So she likes the slow ones…_

Halfway into Clair De Lune, Elsa naturally transitioned into a song she used to play very frequently in the past.

"Wow…" Kristen purred next her. Elsa felt a surge of enjoyment, the same kind of passion she used to feel. She started to put more expression into the song. It was an easier song to play, but nonetheless emotional and expressive. She closed her eyes and let the music take over her, letting her body sway expressively with the melody. She felt Kristen's body heat near her left side. She had inched closer to her.

Then, suddenly it was too much. She started to feel the familiar excruciating grief start to overcome her soul. She stopped playing and pulled her hands off the piano.

"No don't stop, I loved that one…that one was my favorite."

Just then, Elsa had realized she had been playing Anna's favorite song. Her fingers had unintentionally and instinctively started playing it. Elsa closed the key cover and put her elbows onto it, covering her face into her hands.

"Elsa? Are you alright?"

_I can't stop myself from always coming back to you…_

She felt her heart rate start to increase and her head began to throb. She felt her eyes tinge with wetness. She was so confused. Anna was right next to her, but it wasn't her. I was enough to make her go mad. The universe was mocking her, teasing her with a sick, twisted situation. She abruptly stood up before her body could process the pain any further.

"Let's watch tv, shall we?" She walked over to the sofa without looking back and Kristen's confused facial expression.

"A-alright," Kristen replied.

As Elsa flipped the tv on with the remote, she felt Kristen walk over slowly and settle herself on the sofa next to Elsa. They watched in silence.

* * *

Elsa felt her eyelids get heavy, and she rubbed them to get rid of some fatigue. She looked over and saw Kristen yawn. Elsa yawned too. Kristen looked tired. "Hey want to take a quick nap? When does your shift end?" Elsa asked.

As Kristen rubbed an eye with her finger, she looked at the digital watch on the video game console. "In around an hour." Kristen yawned again.

"Let's go." Elsa got up and stretched, letting a long whine drain from her mouth. She turned and started walking over to her bed expecting Kristen to follow. She turned around and saw her still sitting on the sofa, wide-eyed. Elsa scratched her stomach. "What's the matter? Not tired?"

She saw her slowly stand up. N-no, it's just-"

"My bed is huge, don't worry. Come on!" Elsa waved for the nurse to come over. She was too tired to give it any thought. Kristen finally obeyed and shuffled her way over.

Silently, they climbed into the large bed and tiredly settled themselves under the covers. Elsa noticed that Kristen had set herself on the far side of the mattress, but she was too tired to pay too much attention to it. Before long both of them had dozed off into a deep afternoon slumber.

* * *

"_Psst! Kristen!"_

A distant voice was echoing into her dream, disrupting the sweet fantasy she'd been reveling in. She felt a poke.

"_Psssst…wake up!"_ somebody whispered.

"Go away," Kristen mumbled. She was too comfortable. She snuggled deeper into the warm body next to her.

"_Oh lord, I called it. I totally called it."_

_What?_

Against her will the voice dragged her conscious out of her hazy slumber and Kristen slowly began to realize where she was. She lazily opened her eyes, but it was somewhat dark in the room. She saw a dark figure looking down at her from the side of the mattress. As she adjusted her eyes, she began to recognize the person. Heidi was looking down at Kristen with round, wondering eyes. Her body turning rigid from realization, Kristen felt a warm body pressed up against her side, soft breaths down her neck, and an arm draped around her waist. Adrenaline coursing through her veins, she slowly turned her head to the side and saw Elsa snuggled up right against her, arm possessively clutched around her waist. Her eyes were closed with her mouth slightly draped open, still deep in her evening slumber.

She turned her head back to Heidi. "_Shit!" _She whispered in panic.

"_Girl you have some explaining to do! But for now get the hell outta there…it's my shift right now." _Heidi looked over at the doors, and Kristen followed her gaze. A body guard was peering in looking straight at them.

_Shit shit shit I was afraid of this._

Afraid to awaken the sleeping beauty, as slowly as possible Kristen began to move her body away from Elsa. Holding her breath she carefully edged toward the end of the mattress, gently lifting Elsa's arm off and onto the bed as she slid out from under it. In a sloth-like pace she inched away from her, making sure not to shake the bed. She heard Heidi gasp, and Kristen froze when she heard rustling. She turned her eyes to see Elsa shift in her sleep, but she didn't wake up.

_Oh god…_

She started to breath again when she finally got to the edge and sat up.

Heidi whispered, "_Dude what happened? I totally called it…"_

"_Nothing happened!" _Kirsten shot back. "_We were just napping and…I don't know what happened, we just…"_

"_Explain it to Nurse Olden." _Heidi said as she looked precariously at the bodyguard, who was now saying something to the other one who was peering in as well.

_Shit!_

They hurriedly started walking towards the doors, but Heidi veered off to take her designated N.N. position in the room. _"Alright we better talk about this later. Love you babe." _Heidi whispered, and Kristen felt a light slap on her rear.

As Kristen walked through the wooden doors, her mind was whirring with worried thoughts.

_I'm going to get fired, this is the end. I knew it the moment she invited me to nap, I just knew it. Heidi called it…I'm doomed._

* * *

"Hey wanna make out?" Kristen called out to Erik behind her.

She was sitting at her small makeup desk admiring the heart necklace with her fingers, lost in thought. She heard Erik abruptly stop his strumming.

"Uhhh…hell yes."

She was curious about something.

Kristen turned around and got onto the bed where Erik was. He set his guitar down and excitedly licked his lips. As Kristen sat down next to Erik, he questioningly looked at her. "Why all of a sudden? You never want to make out, and I thought you said you wanted to wait until marriage, or something like that."

"Well, I do. I guess, I just…I dunno...I guess I just want to?"

Erik's expression turned from confused to eager. "Fine by me." He leaned in and kissed her on the lips. Kristen returned the action by kissing him back, moving her lips with his. She pressed in harder. She was looking for something…looking for answers.

She felt his hand touch her lower thigh, and he slowly started running it upwards. She let him. She put a hand around the back of his head, bringing him in closer. He responded by leaning over her more so that most of his upper torso was over hers. Kristen sunk down into the bed so that she was now on her back. They continued kissing.

Kristen was looking for something. She felt him start to kiss his way down her neck. Kristen rubbed the back of his neck to encourage him. She let Erik try to seduce her. She was open to his pleadings

But she wasn't feeling a thing. The kisses felt forced, like she was only going through the motions. There was no feeling, just touching. She wanted to feel _something_.

"H-hey, is it okay if we stop here for today?"

She looked down at Erik apologetically. He nodded. "Yea of course honey. I mean, we haven't gotten this far in a while."

"Thanks Erik. You're the best. Wanna just cuddle?"

"Yea."

Kristen turned to her side and faced the wall and she felt Erik wrap his body up against hers, bringing his arm over her body and hugging her in close.

She stared at the wall. She was upset at what she was feeling. Was it disappointment? With herself? With Erik? Was it guilt? She felt empty. Erik was her boyfriend, he was _such _a good guy. He was cute and had all the right things going on. Why wasn't she feeling anything? She'd claimed that she wanted to wait until marriage, although she wasn't religious or anything. She wanted to wait, or was it that she wanted to put it off? She wasn't comfortable yet. She never felt any desire for this kind of intimacy with anyone.

Until now. In the pit of her stomach, Kristen knew somewhere deep down that these emerging feelings of longing and desire weren't for Erik. The inner conflict was uncomfortable and made her very concerned. She bit her lip and tightened her grip around Kristoff's hand.


	25. Elsa's Fiancé

"*_Ahem*_…"

Nurse Olden was boring her eyes into Kristen. She was not pleased, tapping her finger on her desk, just waiting, making Kristen cringe with every tap.

"An explanation? Right, right. Uhmm…so…"

_Think…think!_

She just could not get comfortable in her chair. Kristen was in the Head Nurse Practitioner's office sitting across from Nurse Olden, who looked menacing behind her desk. Kristen felt small. "So…right. Uhh so I meant it to be part of the job, it was all professional, cuz…cuddling reduces overall stress and anxiety."

Nurse Olden cocked an eyebrow. Kristen gulped. She felt a ramble start to gurgle up her throat. "S-so I read in the textbook that cuddling releases oxytocin, w-which I'm sure you know what it is. But just in case, it's the hormone that makes you feel good and is supposed to increase your overall happi-"

"I am aware of what oxytocin _is _Nurse Bergesen."

"R-right of course I'm sorry. A-and-and endorphins. Cuddling releases endorphins too…I read. Which is the hormone that your body releases after you exercise. That's why you feel good after you exercise or eat chocolate. And...oh wait…I just remembered another thing for oxytocin, so an increase in oxytocin reduces blood pressure, which reduces your risk of heart disease, which the risk is higher for people with anxiety…so I guess you can pretty much say that I was saving her life…in the long run."

_Wow too much of a stretch reeeeel it back just reel it back…_

Nurse Olden still had her eyebrow cocked. She was not amused nor convinced. "So you've read the textbook." She sighed. "Nurse Bergesen, this is your first and only warning. From what I've gathered from the body guards, it seems like that what they saw was too intimate and slightly inappropriate for an N.N.. I don't care what benefits or treatments you claim to be purporting in this _argument_ of yours. I'm sure you are aware of the consequences, and that I will not have to repeat them. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes yes of course I completely understand."

Finished, Nurse Olden started attending to the paperwork in front of her. "You're dismissed."

_Thank goodness._ Kristen quickly got up from her chair and turned around hurry out of her office.

"Wait."

_Shoot what now?_ She slowly turned around.

"You may have heard that we are expecting the czarista's son from Serbia soon. He is coming as an ambassador for Serbia to speak of future shipping and trading agreements with Miss Elsa."

Nurse Olden leaned back into her chair. "The last time Elsa participated in a diplomatic relations meeting, it didn't go very well. We are thinking about adding an N.N. into the mix to perhaps help her with her neurosis during these meetings. So, in addition to her fiancé, you are to join her when the czar comes."

Kristen felt uneasy. She didn't feel prepared to be amongst such important people. Nurse Olden sensed her uncertainty. "Don't worry. You won't have to say anything. Just be there for Miss Elsa just in case she has any needs. You will be standing beside the body guards. Do not speak unless asked to be spoken with and to. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Nurse Olden. I understand."

"Good. Thank you for coming in. Good luck."

* * *

"Are you sure?" Kristen sat on the sofa anxiously bouncing her legs up and down. She didn't feel prepared for this. She heard Elsa's distant voice from the walk-in closet. "Yea. I want you to sit next to me. You can sit on my right, since Hans will be sitting on my left."

They were moments away before leaving for the diplomatic session with the future czar. She was nervous about a variety of things, including meeting Elsa's fiancé. Elsa had rarely spoken of him. "Okay I'm done."

_Wow…_

Elsa had walked out in her regimental uniform appropriate for when meeting other ambassadors and diplomats. She had on dark navy blue pants with a single narrow gold streak running up the outer sides of her pant legs. Her top dress coat was white with gold buttons lining down the front, clasping her coat securely around her body. Her shoulders were adorned with gold fabric ornamental shoulder pieces bordered with blue, and three small medals each of different hue hung valiantly from her left breast pocket. A blue and gold textile sash ran it's way from her right shoulder down to her left side, disappearing under her left arm.

"We have the same colored shoes." Elsa said as she approached Kristen, kicking out her white shoes in front of her.

Kristen was speechless. She'd been used to seeing Elsa in grey sweat pants and a v-tank most of the time. She was floored right now. She truly looked like royalty.

Kristen suddenly felt very small."Y-your highness…I mean…you look amazing Elsa."

_Your highness? Here we go again…you mumbling idiot._

She saw Elsa let herself fall back into the sofa, ending up in a slouching position. "I hate these meetings. At least I'll have you there this time."

Right then, they heard the chamber doors open and the bodyguard speak. "Miss Elsa, your fiancé Hans has arrived."

* * *

Moments earlier, Hans had been making his way down the long hall carrying the white gloves both him and Elsa were to wear to the meeting. He skidded to a halt to check himself out in a mirror.

_Mom would be proud._

And his mother was proud. She was _finally _proud. Hans couldn't be happier with the situation. Ideally, Elsa would be in love with him, or at least show some kind of interest, but this was good enough. It was enough to be living in the chateâu and to be living the royal life he'd always dreamed of.

He checked out his backside, then spun to the front. He was wearing a similar uniform that Elsa wore, adorned with the same gold decorations and sash, but his was all navy blue, signifying that his ranking was lower than hers of course. He didn't have any medals though, but maybe one day he would.

Deciding he was happy with what he saw, Hans finally pried his eyes from off his reflection and continued down the hallway. He remembered that today it wouldn't be just him and Elsa. One of the new N.N.'s would be joining them. He was fine with that, he didn't care all that much. He heard one of them looked like Anna.

As he approached the door, he commanded to the bodyguard. "Tell Miss Elsa her fiancé is here."

"Yes sir."

Hans straightened out his uniform as he opened the door.

"Miss Elsa, your fiancé Hans has arrived."

Hans strut through the door. "Elsa m'darling I have your gloves that-"

When he saw her, he felt an icy ripple shoot through his body. He clapped his hand to his mouth as he staggered backwards, eyes wide with a mixture of shock and fear. He dropped the gloves as he rammed hard into one of the body guards.

"Mister Hans, are you alright?"

_Impossible!_

There she was, Anna in the flesh, staring at him from across the room with a confused facial expression. "Mister Hans, are you alright?" she called out in concern. Both of her and Elsa started walking towards him. Hans backed up even more into the bodyguard.

"I know right? Looks exactly like her. I had a hard time at the beginning too." Elsa said as she picked up the gloves from the floor. Hans's mind was racing.

_There is no way...do they know? Does Elsa know?_

He saw Elsa start putting on her white gloves. "Hans meet Nurse Bergeson. She's the N.N. that will be accompanying us in the meeting today."

Anna shyly put out her hand. "An honor to meet you sir."

Hans was shaking vigorously, his brow starting to bead with sweat. He tried to frantically put the pieces together.

_Focus…focus. Remember, she lost her memory. Bergeson...her and Kristoff's fake last name. She has no idea. Neither of them have any idea. Do they? No, impossible. Just a sick fucking coincidence this is…how did Kristoff let this happen?!_

Hans started to calm down a bit. Elsa handed him his pair of gloves. "She looks identical to Anna, right?"

Anna brought down her hand because the handshake hadn't been reciprocated.

Hans was still shaking. "N-n-nurse Bergeson. A p-pleasure." _Focus Hans. Get yourself together. We'll make sense of this after the meeting. I have to talk to Kristoff._ Hans gathered himself together. "Wow…uhmm…*ahem*. She really does look like Anna. I mean…not identical, but I can see the resemblance."

Elsa replied, "See I thought they look identical, but you know me and my imagination. My mind just likes to play tricks on me. Shall we?"

Elsa started heading out the door. Hans stared in disbelief at Anna, who looked up at him but quickly brought her head down and hurriedly followed Elsa out the door.

_Fuck….how did this happen!?_

* * *

The tension in the room was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Han's pits were damp with sweat. He looked over to Elsa sitting next to him, clearly looking uncomfortable. He leaned back and peered cautiously over at Anna. She had been silent for the whole meeting so far.

Across the table from them, the czarista's son cleared his throat, but didn't' say anything. They were sitting in the grand conference room at a mahogany table and were supposed to be discussing their trade agreements, but it was going terribly. It was apparent the czarista's son was awkward and uncooperative with his communication. The small talk was painfully short and ended just as it began. The future czar sat silently, looking around at the room while his fiancé next to him sat and stared blankly at Elsa.

All of them jumped when they heard a small yap from the bag that was next to the czarista's son on the ground.

"Shush Mascha!"

The czarista's son, Stojan, angrily looked down at the bag. Embarrassed, he looked up at the three in front of him. "My apologies," he said in a thick accent. "My dog companion is restless."

Elsa replied, "No problem at all Stojan."

Another uncomfortable silence settled in the room. After a while, Hans was surprised to hear Anna's voice pipe up. "I love animals. What kind of dog is it?"

"Šarplaninac," Stojan replied nervously.

Anna cocked her head.

Stojan quickly mumbled something into his fiancé's ear. His fiancé then turned to them and said, "In English, it's translated Illyrian Sheepdog. He's just puppy now."

"Aww can we see him?" Hans saw Anna whip her head and looked at Elsa, giving her an apologetic look, remembering she wasn't supposed to talk. Hans was disappointed to see Elsa give her an encouraging nod.

Stojan chuckled. "Yes, of course." He reached down into the bag. "Dolaze ovde i biti ljubazan Mascha."

He lifted a very fluffy puppy up and out of the bag onto the table. It looked dazed for a little, staring around at its environment. It started sniffing the table.

"Ohhh! It's adorable! Come here lil' puppy!" Anna reached out tapped the table with her fingers.

"She's beautiful," Elsa chimed in.

"Thank you. Her name is Mascha. The Serbian ruler gave to me as gift."

Hans felt like he needed to contribute to the conversation. "Your father likes dogs?" Suddenly Elsa shot a sharp look at Hans. Stojan replied. "No, my mother is the ruler of Serbia, not my father. _Czarista_."

"Oh, my mistake." _Shit. _Hans was embarrassed at his sexist assumption. He was supposed to have studied and known everything about their guests today. He looked back at the dog, who was now playing with Anna's fingers, playfully attacking them.

"I did some research before me and my boyfriend got a dog," Anna said. "I think I remember the Illyrian Sheepdog is very brave and protective. My dog, unfortunately is the opposite. We adopted Sven, that's his name, from the pound. He's a tiny little Chihuahua and trembles at everything and anything." She giggled.

Hans rolled his eyes. The future czar looked amused. "Really? I seen Chi-wa-wa? They look…like rat." He chuckled.

Anna laughed. "You're right about that. They're just basically big, trembling rats." The whole table chuckled except Hans.

Elsa spoke. "May I ask Stojan, why did you bring him along on the trip? If I had such a delightful companion, I would love bringing my pet on trips also."

Stojan looked down and folded his hands on the table. "Erm, he helps...calm me? I-I have some…" He whispered something into his fiancé's ear again. "He has some anxieties," she said. "The dog helps calm his anxieties."

Hans saw Elsa and Anna look at each other and smile widely. "I totally understand," Elsa said with a knowing smile.

The meeting lasted for an hour, much longer than anticipated. After the first few awkward minutes, the rest of the time was spent in interesting discussion talking about dogs and common anxiety problems, ending with a successful trade and shipping treaty. Learning that the beautiful Elsa also had anxiety problems, Stojan immediately relaxed and opened up, allowing an interaction of lively discussion between the four of them. And not only that, but the czarista's son also opened up the possibility about a military partnership, which was way beyond the scope of Elsa's responsibility. Elsa confidently discussed the details with the Serbian couple, and before they knew it, Serbia and Arendelle had a confirmed military alliance. The meeting was a huge success to all of Arendelle. Well, to everyone except for Hans.

Hans hadn't said a word the whole time. He had spent most of the time with his fists clenched in frustration. Anna had out performed him…again.

* * *

The three of them had just finished eating lunch in the royal dining hall with the Chief General of the Arendelle Military. Word had gotten around the government fast about the success of the meeting. They were in the chateáu hallway walking towards Elsa's room.

"Wow it's really shiny." Anna was looking down at a small opened veldt box, which held a small medallion similar to the ones Elsa was wearing on her uniform. Elsa had received it during lunch directly from the General himself as a token of gratitude for her efforts.

"I want you to have it," Elsa said to Anna. "You deserve it. If it weren't for you, I don't think the meeting would've gone the way it did."

Hans clenched his teeth. He started walking ahead of the two, unable to stand being next to Anna.

"No…no way. I can't accept something like _this._ You were the amazing one in there, doing all that negotiating and being all assertive and sexy. I MEAN...I mean, assertive and confident.

Elsa chuckled. "I want you to have it, please? It's the least I could do for all your help." Hans rolled his eyes. He couldn't bear it any longer, and he quickly spun around. "I'm going to go back to my room. I'll see you later." Elsa and Anna looked up at him startled. They'd obviously forgotten about his presence.

"Oh alright. Oh Hans wait...the General told us he wanted to throw us some kind of party. He said his son just opened some kind of club downtown and wanted us to go support it tonight. Can you make it?" Elsa asked.

"We'll see. See you later sweetheart." As he leaned down to kiss Elsa on the cheek, he turned his eyes sideways at Anna to make sure she was watching. She quickly turned away her gaze.

_I'm her fiancé, got that?_

* * *

Kristoff watched as Kristen pulled up a narrow, leather black pencil skirt that clung tightly around her waist and thighs. It ended well above her knees. He felt wary. "So...this employee only party...most of the hospital employees are going to be there? How many guys are there?"

"Don't worry sweetie. I promise I won't make out with any guys," Kristen joked. She took off her uniform top and pulled on a tight fitting tank top. It revealed a bit of her waist.

"How do I look?" She turned around. She looked hot as hell. She was wearing makeup and clubbing attire and Kristoff was almost speechless. "You look hot."

"Thanks. I hope these heels don't hurt my feet too much." At that moment there was a loud honk and a voice from outside. "Kristen we're gonna get drunk tonight woooooooo!"

"Oh geez that's my ride, Heidi. Gotta go! Bye sweetie." She quickly pecked Kristoff on the cheeks. Her perfume smelled delicious.

On the way out Kristoff heard her whistle a tune that sounded oddly familiar. He couldn't put his finger on it.

"Bye have fun." Kristoff called out.

She continued to whistle the tune outside until he heard the car door open, then slam close. He heard the rumbling of the car engine fade off into the distance.

_Where have I heard that tune before?_

His cell phone started to buzz on the bed.

_Sounds so familiar…_

And then, it him. His entire body went rigid. His mouth shot open, his eyes widening in panic.

_My god!_

His world began to spin. She was whistling the song Elsa had always played for Anna on the piano when they were younger.

_How?! It's got to be a coincidence…_

Kristoff reached out a trembling hand and picked up his buzzing phone. Heart pounding, he brought the phone to his ear. His stomach dropped when he heard who's voice it was.

"Kristoff. It's Hans. We need to talk."


	26. Cîroc, Patrón, Grey Goose

"Uhh-exc~use me! We were here first!" Heidi was shoving her way in front of a young man who had tried to inch his way in front of them. They were waiting behind a crowd of people surrounding the bar to order their drinks.

Heidi looked back at Kristen. She was uncomfortable being squeezed between so many people. "We're almost there babe I got you. What do you want?" Kristen hadn't been out clubbing before. "Uh…I have no idea. Order something for me?"

Heidi studied Kristen for a little bit. "Hmmm…you want something strong?"

"I honestly have no clue."

"Okay." Someone in front of Heidi had gotten their drinks and was squeezing their way out from the bar. Heidi quickly dipped under the person's arms and took his spot at the bar. "Yes! It'll be just one second I'll get you your drink."

Kristen nodded and waited patiently behind Heidi as she leaned forward to try to wave down the bartender. Heidi was an experienced clubber and knew her way around. Kristen was grateful.

Everything was very dark and dim in the club, with only a few stage lights moving about with the music. The place was packed full of the more younger government employees. The music was enormously loud so that whenever she wanted to say something to Heidi, she had to yell into her ear. The music was catchy though. It was quite different listening to music in a club, with speakers all around, immersing the people in it into a different realm. She felt like she was in a huge boom box.

She saw Heidi carefully turn around with two tall glasses in her hands. "Kristen let's get out of this pit of hell first!" Heidi yelled. Kristen nodded and turned around to escape the crowded area.

They got to a more open area between the dance floor and a seating area with small tables, which was blocked off by a veldt rope. Some of the tables were unoccupied. Heidi handed Kristen her drink; it was a light green hue.

"Drink up cutie. I was going to get us some shots to get us started, but they're too fucking expensive here. I got you a Midori Sour. I don't know your tolerance level yet so we'll start you off with something not that strong," Heidi yelled into her ear.

Kristen took a small sip. She tasted a tinge of bitter alcohol, but the sweet melon syrup quickly chased it away. It was good. "I like it…what did you get?" Kristen yelled.

"I got an AMF." Heidi held out her drink, offering Kristen a sip. Her drink was a turquoise blue.

Kristen leaned in and took a sip. She regretted it. She immediately scrunched up her face from the bitterness of the alcohol. There was sweetness in the drink but the alcohol was very strong.

"Haha! Strong huh…that's why it's my favorite!"

Kristen smacked her mouth to get rid of the bitter taste. "What does AMF stand for?"

Heidi grinned. "Adios Mother Fucker!"

They stood sipping their drinks, bobbing their heads to the music. She turned around to look at the empty tables and seats behind them that were blocked off. "Hey Heidi, why don't we go sit down?" She pointed at the seats.

Heidi turned, and then chuckled. "Girl that's bottle service. That shit is expensive…like hundreds of dollars a person. I mean, it comes with table service where they provide you alcohol and drinks and a place to sit down. But fuck we're government employees…we don't have that kind of money!"

Kirsten heard a gurgle and looked down to see that Heidi had already finished her drink. "Jeez Heidi that was fast!" Heidi put the glass down on a speaker next to her. "Hurry up! We've got to get the night started! Chug that thing down so you can get the next round."

Kirsten looked down warily at her green concoction. She'd only drank a fourth of it. Heidi started pushing the glass up to her mouth, coaxing her to down it.

Kristen braced herself as she brought the glass to her lips. She tilted it back and let the sweet alcohol pour down her throat, gulping it all down. She felt a slight push from the cup. It was most likely Heidi who was pushing the glass back so Kristen drank every last drop.

"Thatta girl!" Heidi cheered as Kristen emptied the glass into her mouth.

"Alright back to the bar!" She felt Heidi grab her arm and drag her over to the bar area again.

The second round of drinks took longer to acquire because there were more people in the club now, and Kristen was more soft-spoken than Heidi. They finally got their drinks and returned to their previous standing place.

Heidi yelled, "Are you feeling anything yet? Are you buzzed?"

"I don't think so," Kristen yelled back.

"Sweet, more alcohol for you!"

Kristen gave a weak smile, and sipped on her drink. She'd gotten a Midori Sour again.

She looked around the club. The whole night she was anxious about meeting someone. Meeting Elsa. She figured it would be a more casual and informal situation. She wondered what that would be like. She then heard Heidi. "Holy…"

Kristen spun her head to see a girl in a tight white cocktail dress and cream-colored high heels making her way towards them. The dress stopped dangerously high on her thighs, seemingly teasing onlookers. It was sleeveless with wide straps that slung over her shoulders. It revealed only a tinge of her bosom, making the dress perfectly subtle and classy. She was wearing a heart locket and a diamond armlet.

Kristen couldn't help but gawk. She looked like a glowing goddess. The whole club seemed to be watching her strut over flawlessly in her heels. Kristen took a step back as Elsa approached them. She tucked her hair behind her ear as she looked down at her drink.

"Hey girls, how are my beloved N.N.'s doing?"

Kristen started sucking deeply into her straw and gulped away.

"Holy shit Miss Elsa. You look hot! And that's an understatement!"

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to see Elsa looking down at her. Kristen was surprised to find Elsa looking a bit more relaxed than she would've expected in such a crowded environment.

"What are you drinking there?"

Kristen realized she had been gulping away this whole time, her lips never leaving the straw. The straw started making slurping noises. She brought the drink down and was about to reply when a small burp escaped her mouth. She quickly brought her hand up to cover her mouth, slightly embarrassed. Elsa gave her a small smile.

Kristen spoke. "It's a Midori Sour. Would you like to try some?" _You doofus you just finished the drink!_ "Oh shoot wait…I mean. I can go get you a drink from the bar. What would you like? I'll get you anything."

Elsa looked behind her at the blocked off tables. "Actually I just had a couple shots with my two bodyguards in the car. They wanted to celebrate with me too. So I'm gunna wait a couple minutes. Let's sit down." Elsa put her hand on Kristen's back and started to lead her to the tables. She saw Heidi excitedly follow them. A big bouncer in a black suit was standing in front of the veldt ropes. Elsa nodded to him, and he immediately moved aside and unhooked a veldt rope, creating an opening for them.

"NO WAY," she heard Heidi exclaim elatedly.

The three sat down at one of the table areas, with Kristen in the middle. Kristen was mindful to leave some space between her and Elsa.

"Ahhh! I can't believe it! This is only my second time getting table service! The first time I had to make out with an old guy! Ugh loves it!" Heidi was obviously enthused.

On the table in front of them, there was a metal container full of ice. It had two glass jugs full of a deep red juice. A girl in a tight corset and bunny ears wearing nothing but a black bathing suit bottom and criss-cut patterned black stockings came over to them. She was carrying a tray. "What can I get for you, Miss Elsa? Patron? Grey Goose?"

Elsa looked down at Kristen. "What do you want Kristen?"

Kristen had no idea. She looked to Heidi for some direction, who looked back at Elsa. "Uhhh….Miss Elsa you choose."

Elsa looked at Heidi for a moment to think, then looked up at the server. "We'll get started with a Cîroc, premium."

"Right away ma'am."

Kristen ogled at Elsa. "S-so…do you go clubbing a lot?" Her heart skipped when Elsa scooched over so that they were touching.

"In university I did…not so much anymore."

"Ah I see…" Kristen looked at Heidi, who was looking at the both of them with round eyes. She saw the server coming with a bottle on her tray.

"That was fast!" Heidi exclaimed when the server started putting the bottle down on the table. She set three shot glasses and three tall glasses down next to it. They watched as she grabbed the juice jug from the ice container. "Is cranberry juice okay? Would you like some soda instead?"

"Cranberry juice is fine," Elsa replied. She looked down at Kristen to confirm, and Kristen just nodded her head.

The server nodded and started placing ice cubes from the ice container into the three cups. She then opened the cranberry juice jug and carefully poured the juice into the glass jars, and set one in front of each person. The server then grabbed the Cîroc vodka bottle and opened it, pouring the alcohol into each shot glass. She placed one in front of all three girls. "Anything else, Miss Elsa?"

"No we're good, thank you."

"If you need anything from us, just let us know." Kristen watched the girl leave. She noticed a small fluff ball on the back of her butt. It was a bunny tail.

"Thanks Miss Elsa! You rock!" Heidi reached for her shot glass.

"Alright I guess we're doing this now," she heard Elsa say as she reached for the shot glass in front of her.

Kirsten gulped as she reached down for hers.

"Cheers!" They clinked their glasses and shot the alcohol down. Kristen cringed as she felt the mild stinging of the alcohol as it went down her throat. "Drink your chaser," Elsa said as she brought the icy cranberry juice up to Kristen's mouth.

Kristen listened and started drinking in the cool and sweet nectar. The burn immediately dissipated.

After Kristen drank her fill of juice, Elsa placed the glass down on the table. She then rested her arm on the sofa area behind Kristen. It was almost like she was putting her arm around her. The club suddenly got very warm. Kristen pressed the back of her hands to her cheeks to cool them down.

Just then, a well-dressed, fairly handsome young man came up to the table, waving to Elsa. The bouncer unhooked the veldt rope and let him in. He came forward and gave a friendly kiss on Elsa's cheek and sat down. "Elsa gorgeous, how are you? Thank you so much for coming!"

"Thanks for throwing the party. I'm sure the employees will have an amazing time tonight. Mikkel meet Kristen and Nurse Heidi Nohr, they are my N.N.'s. Nurse Nohr, Kristen, meet Mikkel, the General's son."

He shook Kristen and Heidi's hands. "Thanks for coming out and supporting us girls. This is just a side business and hobby I do besides my military work. Ever since I was in high school I wanted to run my own club." He looked up to Elsa. "You need anything? Oh, we need to do a shot together!"

Elsa chuckled and brought her hand to her forehead. "Oh god Mikkel we _just _had a shot of Cîroc."

Mikkel gave her a smirk. "Elsa, come on this is a night to celebrate! Just one! We _have _to do at _least _one together tonight."

Without waiting for an answer, Mikkel waived down the nearest server. A well-sculpted, half-naked man walked over with a tray. He was wearing black dress pants, no shirt, and a black bowtie. "What can I get for you Mikkel?"

"Get us a bottle of Patrón Silver. Limes too."

"Yes sir."

Elsa and Mikkel started speaking of the meeting with Serbia earlier that day. Kristen felt hers cheeks getting hotter. She inched over closer to Heidi. "Heidi I think I'm getting a tiny bit buzzed."

"Girl I'm already buzzed. I should be good after this next tequila shot. Oh my god I can't believe we're getting all these free shots! Tonight's gunna be so much fun."

The chiseled server came back immediately with a short and fat bottle of tequila and four shot glasses. He cleared the table of the empty, used shot glasses and set down the four new ones. He poured the tequila into the glasses and passed them out. He set down a bowl of limes, black napkins, and a small shaker of what appeared to be salt.

"Anything else?"

"Yea, put on a shirt, you're making me look bad. I'm just kidding, you look good, keep up the hard work." Mikkel waved in thanks.

Kristen had no idea what the salt and lime were for. She slowly copied what Heidi, Elsa and Mikkel were doing. They placed a lime on their napkins first, and then passed around the salt shaker after they used it. They licked the back of their hand and shook the salt onto the wet area, letting some salt stick. They waited for Kristen to hastily shake the salt onto her own hand.

"Alright let's do this!" Kristen saw Mikkel lick the salt off his hand first, then shoot the liquid into his mouth. He quickly brought the lime to his mouth and started sucking. It was only three simple steps, but it seemed daunting to Kristen.

Kristen took a deep breath. She licked the salt, and didn't enjoy the taste. She brought the glass to her lips and shot it backwards. _Ugh, god! _It was worse than the vodka. It seemed to burn her mouth and tongue, and she struggled to swallow it down. She quickly grabbed the lime wedge and shoved it into her teeth, sucking the juice out. It helped. They'd all finished the shots and were now settling down and enjoying the view.

Kristen then felt a soft tickling sensation on her pinky. She looked down to see Elsa massaging her finger ever so slightly, all while talking and directing her attention to Mikkel. Kristen stared at Elsa's finger slowly swirl and graze her finger.

_Oh good lord. She's doing it. She is seducing me. I'm getting seduced by the mayor's daughter. And I am liking it._

Worry suddenly struck Kristen.

_I'm going to be nurse number three that gets fired…oh no...It's happening…_

Kristen didn't want to get fired, but she felt herself being pulled under her spell. The same spell that got the other two nurses fired. She was in their position right now. Kristen bit her lip, and pulled her hand away into her lap. She wanted to reach over and intertwine her fingers with Elsa's to see what it felt like. They feel must feel nice and soft, and strong. But she couldn't. She had a boyfriend, first of all, whom she adored. Then, there were boundaries, there was protocol, there were people all around. She couldn't lose her job, she'd already gotten a warning.

"Woooo! Sho~~ts!" Heidi was clearly buzzed. "Oh my god I love this song! Let's go dance!" Heidi stood up and started dancing.

Kristen looked over nervously at Elsa. "D-do you wanna go dance?"

Elsa reached over and started running her fingers through Kristen's hair. Kristen froze, directing all her energy toward absorbing every sensation of it. She felt like she was melting in feels. The alcohol must've been making Elsa more forward than usual.

"I think I'm going to talk to Mikkel for a bit. You go with Heidi."

"Alri-" Before she could finish she felt Heidi yank her. They dipped under the veldt ropes and made their way to the dance floor. The edges of everything looked fuzzier, and she was feeling pretty good and relaxed. As they settled themselves in the middle of the dance floor, the music started reverberating throughout her body. Heidi was already dancing. The song was happy and uplifting, and Kristen couldn't help herself but smile and started jumping and dancing to the beat.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kristoff and Hans were in the trailer home, sitting in intense silence. Kristoff was sitting on the couch, face in his hands. The worst possible thing had happened. Well, not quite the worst. The worst would be if somehow Anna's memory returned. Then, he'd be doomed.

He looked up at Hans, who was leaning against the kitchen counter and crossing his arms. He was in clubbing attire. Apparently he was going out tonight to the same event Anna was at right now.

"We have to tell her," Kristoff said firmly.

Hans angrily looked up at Kristoff. "Are you out of your fucking mind?"

"It's not okay anymore. They've met each other. It's some kind of destiny or fate shit. I can't fight against it. I can't do this anymore knowing that Anna and Elsa are hanging out like this."

Kristoff buried his head in his hands again. He knew the life he'd been living was too good to be true. He clutched his chest. He felt like there was a bottomless pit of guilt and shame. It was becoming real. What he'd done to Anna was becoming real to him. He'd stolen her away. "We have to tell her."

Kristoff heard Hans violently slam his hands on the counter. "Kristoff, you've _got _to be joking. Tell her?! After all this time?!.And what…tell her what? 'Oh...sorry Anna…you lost your memory and we gave you a fake name and fake life and stole you away from the love of your life.' And then what do you think she'll do…_forgive _you?!"

Kristoff shot up from the sofa. "Hans! I've had nightmares of them meeting. I've had nightmares of her regaining her memory back. I mean…as the years passed the dreams have died down but sometimes I still have them. And now that they've met…and-and-and I can't do this anymore! The stakes are too high…what if she somehow remembers everything? It's better to tell her now."

"No, no no. We can still make this work. We just…we just…we need to make everything like it was before. Everything was fine before right? Anna…no, Kristen loves you. Anna is _not _Kristen. They're two completely different people."

Kristoff sat back down in the couch in defeat. He knew his brother would never be open to the idea. He actually didn't know if he himself was sure about telling her. He didn't want to let Anna go…perfect Anna.

"Mother will know what to do with this. Don't you _dare _tell Anna." Hans started to walk towards the door.

"NO. You will _not _bring that devil into this. HANS."

But Hans didn't turn back. He left the trailer park home as the door slammed behind him.

* * *

The music was now slower, darker, more erotic, with more bass. Kristen reached up a hand to her chest and placed it there. She felt her whole body vibrate as the beat pounded hard and buzzed against her chest. She was submersed in the music, and it was compelling her to sway freely. At this point Kristen knew she was very buzzed. She felt awesome, like there was no worry in the world.

"Fuuuuck I loooove trap music," Heidi drunkenly slurred. There was a guy behind Heidi dancing up on her, and Heidi had pulled in Kristen to dance with her in the front. The music was perfect to dance with someone, so Kirsten obliged. A couple of guys had approached Kristen already, but she declined. She didn't feel like it. Actually, she wanted someone else.

She bit her lip and she closed her eyes and swayed to the music, bass booming throughout her body. She was thinking about her. She was thinking about Elsa's lips, wondering how they must feel against her own. How she wanted to run her hands through her hair again. Her cheeks must feel so soft. She wanted to feel Elsa's neck with her lips, run them down while taking in her natural, sweet scent. Kristen licked her lips slowly as she moved her body to the rhythm. She wanted to run her hands down Elsa's waist and feel her against her body.

Just then, she felt a warm body come up against her backside. She felt a hand slide down to her stomach, gripping her tightly against the body behind her, pulling her slightly away from Heidi. She smelled her perfume.

_Elsa._

Kristen stepped back away from Heidi and pushed her backside up against Elsa. They started swaying together with the gritty, dark, sensual music. The bass took over all her senses. She reached her arm down and grasped her hand over Elsa's, welcoming them. She knew she wasn't supposed to be doing this, but the liquid courage had drained all her inhibitions, making her devoid of any worries. All that mattered was here. Right now. She was going to do whatever her body wanted. And it wanted Elsa.

She leaned her head back against Elsa's shoulder, reveling in her presence. She lifted her arm and reached back, gently grasping the back of Elsa's neck, stroking her, enticing her. They grounded and gyrated into each other in sync with the music, drowning in lust, longing and aching for each other.

She felt Elsa's hand start to wander. It slowly slipped itself under her tank top and caressed her bare stomach. It drove Kristen wild, to feel her slender and soft hands touch her like that. She bit her lip as she reached up and slipped her own hand under her tank top and met Elsa's hand, placing hers on top. She slowly guided it up and around her stomach, encouraging and pleading her on. She licked her lips as she guided Elsa's hand down further, until both of their hands momentarily dipped slightly into her skirt. Kristen inhaled deeply. She then guided Elsa's hand slowly upward until Elsa's hand grazed the bottom of her chest. She felt Elsa bring her face and nuzzle it into her neck. Kristen leaned her neck sideways, welcoming it.

She felt small nibbles on her neck. _Fuck…_ She bit harder into her lip. Kristen couldn't take it anymore. She turned around and forced her front up against Elsa, bringing her face close to hers. They started dancing again, grinding in sync to the bass. Their faces were almost touching. Kristen looked into Elsa's eyes. Her eyes were full of drunkenness, desire, fully in the moment, thinking of nothing else but Kristen. She brought her arms so that they wrapped around Elsa's neck.

Sex. Kristen felt sexy. She'd never felt sexy before, but now she knew. She understood. This is what it felt like to be turned on. And boy was she on…she was fully on. She felt alive, burning with hunger and passion. She'd never felt like this with Erik.

_Erik!_

"_Shit." _Kristen whispered. She stopped dancing and pressed her forehead against Elsa's.

"Are you alright?"

"…I'm better than alright. You're so…I can't…"

They had stopped dancing. They simply stood and pressed their foreheads together, embracing each other closely.

"Do you want another drink?" Elsa asked as she stroked Kristen's cheek.

"If you're drinking one." Kirsten was immersed in a world with just Elsa and the music, and nothing else, and she didn't want to leave it just yet. If another shot would prolong this dream, then another shot it was.

She looked up to see Elsa reach her arm into the air and snap twice. Suddenly, a server was next to them, right in the middle of the dance floor balancing an open bottle of vodka with a spout and two shot glasses on her tray. The server skillfully took the bottle and poured into the two glasses, and held them out for Elsa and Kristen to take.

"Cheers," Elsa said as she lifted a glass and handed it to Kristen. They downed the glasses. It was easier for Kristen now, maybe because her body had gotten used to it, or maybe because she was slightly drunk.

"Eeeek! Don't feerget us Miss Elsa!" Kirsten looked to her left and found Heidi and her dance partner standing next to them, tilting their heads back and gaping their mouths open. It reminded Kristen of little baby birds opening their mouths in a nest waiting for the mother bird to feed them their meals.

"Haha alright," Elsa said as she put her shot glass down on the tray. She picked up the whole bottle of vodka and brought it over to Heidi, aimed the spout, and starting pouring the alcohol straight into her mouth. When Heidi was filled, she brought the bottle over to the guy, pouring it into his mouth as well. Suddenly, a few more young employees gathered around Elsa and Kristen, crouching down a bit and opening their mouths to receive some free alcohol.

"Woooo!" Heidi yelled as she had just swallowed the alcohol. "You're fucking awesome Miss Elsaaaaa! Woooo!"

"Oh god haha, we have a 'woo girl' don't we," Elsa snickered as she continued to pour the alcohol into the employee's mouths. During all this, Elsa had her other hand on the small of Kristen's back, holding her close. Kristen leaned into Elsa's chest, resting her head against it.

When she poured into the last person's mouth, she put the bottle back on the tray. She brought both hands behind Kristen's back, rubbing her warmly. "How are you feeling?" Kristen's head was against Elsa's chest, and she heard her voice vibrate against her ear.

"Perfect."

"Do you wanna go outside and rest for a little?"

"Yea."

She felt Elsa take her hand. She led her through the crowded dance area, and she found herself outside in an enclosed area with veldt ropes. They were outside in the front of the club, but closed off with veldt ropes so that outsiders couldn't enter.

Elsa leaned back against the brick wall, and Kristen re-took her position snuggled up against Elsa's body. She rested her head against her chest and closed her eyes. Elsa held her close.

She suddenly felt the slam of another body against hers.

"Missss Eeeeelssaaa kisss mee~" Kirsten opened her eyes to see Heidi leaned up against Elsa's side, taking her own arm and linking Elsa's with it. The guy she'd met earlier was a safe distance away taking a smoke break. Heidi also had a cigarette in her hand.

"Omygod you're so hot, just one peck? Pleeease?"

Kristen looked up to see Elsa give her a small smile. She was looking at the cigarette in Heidi's hand. It looked like she wanted it.

"How about we do a shotgun?" she heard Elsa ask.

"OMGOD I'LL TAKE IT."

Kirsten watched as Heidi held up her cigarette to Elsa's lips. Elsa took a big inhale but kept the smoke in her mouth, not inhaling the smoke into her lungs. She brought her mouth down to Heidi, who opened her mouth ever so slightly and held it so close to Elsa's mouth that looked like they were almost kissing. Elsa then opened her mouth, letting soft billows of smoke flow over into Heidi's mouth. Elsa blew the last bit of smoke into her mouth, and Heidi then closed her lips shut and tilted her head back towards the sky. Heidi let the smoke that Elsa had transferred to her surge up into the air in a single stream.

Heidi closed her eyes and grinned. "Fuuuck that was hot." She leaned into Elsa's chest, just as Kristen was doing so that her face was right up against Kirsten's. "Let's have a threeesome guyyys."

_What?!_

"Uhhhh…I'm gunna go to the bathroom," Elsa said. She gave Kristen's arm a gentle squeeze as she headed back inside the club.

"Fuuuck Kristen you hittin' that yet?" Heidi took a puff of her cigarette. The guy that she'd been dancing with came over now that he had finished his cigarette and took Heidi's hand to lead her inside. "Imma dance nowww…cya laterrrr."

Kristen watched as Heidi drunkenly staggered into the club. She leaned back against the brick wall and closed her eyes. She didn't want the night to end.

She opened her eyes and looked around in the outside area. Her heart jumped. She saw a familiar face staring at her from across the patio. He had a beer in his hands and he was just…staring. Then, he started making his way over. She remembered his face. It was Elsa's fiancé, Hans.

_Oh god, did he see us dancing?_

"Having a good night?" he said as he placed himself right in front of her. He took a swig from his beer and jammed his hand into his pocket.

"H-hi Mister Hans."

"Just call me Hans."

"Alright…hi Hans."

"So Kristen, I'm hearing some rumors about you and my fiancé."

_Uh-oh…_Kirsten felt her heart start to pound in her ears.

"Don't worry. I understand…she has a past, she has some needs."

"Oh…gee Hans, umm, I don't know what to say. I'm just…I'm kind of, I'm under the influence. I wouldn't have-"

"I just want to warn you, you know? I don't want you to get hurt like the other N.N.'s did."

Kristen was confused. _Warn me?_

He took another swig. "If I had the chance to tell the other N.N.'s, I would have. You see…she's trying to fill a hole in her heart. She's trying to satisfy something that can't be satisfied. You know…because of Anna's death?"

Kristen slowly nodded, acknowledging that she knew about Anna's death.

"Right. So, she's going around and trying to fill this hole, just fucking all these girls. But it hasn't worked obviously, because none of them are Anna. You, on the other hand, boy you sure do look like her don't you. She must really have fallen for you." He chuckled and took another swig. Kristen didn't know if she liked where this was headed.

"So…what I'm trying to say…is that…nobody will ever fill that hole. I don't want to sound harsh, but she's using you to try to fill something she can't fill. She really liked Anna, and all these girls just end up disappointing her."

He chugged the last bit of his beer and threw it in a wastebasket, and crossed his arms and looked straight into Kristen's eyes. Kristen nervously wrung her hands.

"I know you mean well, but I think you should stop what you're doing with her. Basically, you're fooling her and hurting her in the long run. She's gotta learn to let go, and you being around her isn't making it easy for her. Don't be the third nurse."

Just then Kristen saw Elsa approach them. "Hans, you made it."

Still looking at Kristen, Hans replied. "Yes I did…"

Kristen felt horrible. She felt terrible. Her night had taken a one-eighty degree turn for the worse. She wanted to go home.

Just then, Kristen turned and saw that the guy Heidi had been with was holding Heidi up and making his way towards them. Heidi was slumped over and clearly intoxicated. "Hi um, you're name's Kristen right?…I think Heidi needs to go home. She's pretty wasted."

"Noooo~~~I'm fineeee."

Kristen looked up at Elsa, who said, "We can give her a ride home. Let's go. Hans you staying?"

"Yea I'm staying."

Kristen looked up at Hans. He gave her a single nod, and a cold shiver ran up her spine.

She turned and started helping the guy hold Heidi's weight up. A bouncer unhooked a veldt rope for them as they made their way towards Elsa's limo. The bodyguard opened the door and helped Heidi inside, and the guy she was with turned to go back into the club. "Hope she'll be okay...cya."

Heidi was on splayed out on the long seats perpendicular to the limo, so Kirsten went and sat beside her body, placing her head on her lap. Elsa sat on the back seats.

They rode in silence. Kristen didn't dare to look up at Elsa. She couldn't. She didn't know how to handle her combating emotions. She leaned her head back on the headrest and pretended to sleep.

All the things that Hans had said to her were repeating over and over in her head. Was Elsa confusing her for Anna? Was she just another nurse? She felt guilty as she thought of Erik at home. She felt like she betrayed him tonight. She felt like she was betraying Elsa too somehow. She wanted her, but was it going to hurt her like Hans had said? It was too much to process right now.

When they got to Heidi's place, Kristen pretended to wake up. Elsa helped Kristen lift Heidi's body up and out of the car. Kristen balanced Heidi's weight on herself by putting one of her warms on her shoulder. She finally looked up at Elsa. "I think I got it. I'll probably need to take care of her tonight, so I'll see you…for my next shift."

Elsa brought her hand up to Kristen's cheek. "Okay, make sure to give her water. Lay her on her side, and put a trashcan next to her head. I…I had fun tonight."

"Me too." Kristen couldn't stand it. She wanted to kiss her, right then and there, but at the same time she wanted to run away and hide from everything.

"See you."

Suddenly Heidi reached up and sloppily grabbed onto Elsa's arm.

"Nooooo…waaaait….*hick*…threeeeesomee~~~"

_God, Heidi!_

"Ack, sorry...I'll just…okay…we'll let you go now. Thanks for the ride…bye Elsa." Embarrassed, Kristen turned around and slowly walked towards Heidi's apartment, struggling to keep her up.

"Threeeesommmee."


	27. Pool Day

He hadn't told her yet, and he didn't want to. But Kristoff knew that eventually he would have to somehow. He just didn't know when or how.

He was home alone again, with his father out as usual doing his gambling and gang business, while Anna was at work. He was laying down, facing up on the couch in the living room, deep in worried thought. He sighed. _How am I supposed to do this? I can't do this._

He was interrupted by a gnawing sound. Forgetting about the whereabouts of Sven, he turned his head. "NO Sven! Bad dog."

Kristoff looked down at the small, dark damp spot on the rug in front of the door. The tip of a shoe was also slightly chewed up.

"Bathroom is outside! Chew toy is here!" He picked up the rubber chameleon chew toy from the ground and threw it at Sven, who darted from it, then quickly chased it, tail wagging vigorously thinking it was playtime now.

"Stupid dog." Kristoff started to gather up paper towels from the counter when he heard a car pull up from outside.

He peered through the small window above the sink and saw a black sedan pull up and stop right in front of his trailer home. He got a bit concerned when three large, buff men emerge from the car and head toward his door.

_Strange…_

He heard three pounds. "Who is it?"

"Jehovah's witnesses."

_What?_

He saw the door handle turn, and then the door open.

_Shit…_

They usually never had the door locked when somebody was home. He stood and watched in alarm as the three huge men made their way into the common room. "Uhh…excuse me…you can't just barge in here like that. Who are you?"

By now, Sven was highly alarmed and frightened of such big creatures entering his home. He was yapping and barking away. A shockwave shot through Kristoff's body as he watched one of the men kick aside Sven, making the pup yelp in pain.

"HEY! What the hell!?" Fuming, Kristoff marched towards them, his fists balled up. "Get the hell ou-"

Right as he approached the men, he felt an excruciating blow to the side of his face. He was thrown to the side and hit the wall, and fell down on his side. Clutching his face he looked up in fear and disbelief at the intruders.

"Trash it," one of them said, and the other two nodded. To his horror, they started knocking over chairs, overturning furniture, throwing down plates and utensils from the kitchen, and overthrowing just about everything they could touch.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" He staggered up onto his feet and braced himself to fight as he ran towards one of the men. Kristoff ducked under his grip and socked him in the stomach, but to his dismay it did nothing. Before he could dodge it, the man's fist hit his face again, making him stumble backwards once more. They were too strong, and he couldn't do anything at this point. From the floor he saw Sven hiding under the couch, trembling. He crawled over to Sven and brought him out from under and held him as he helplessly watched the men trash his home. He looked for his phone to call the police, but remembered his father was involved in gangs and the last thing they needed was police at their door.

He heard one of the men speak. "That's enough. Now we deal with him."

_That doesn't sound good…_

He brought Sven toward his chest even though he knew the little animal couldn't do anything and was probably more frightened than he was.

"What do you want!? Are you here because of my father? I have nothing to do with his work! What do you want…money? Cuz we have none of that, you're looking in the wrong place!"

He dropped Sven to the ground as two men heaved him up violently and took him by the arms. He tried to struggle his way out of their grip, but they were too strong. They dragged him to the kitchen.

"Let go of me! Aaagh!" He struggled and struggled, but they held firm.

"Do what she said," he heard the leader direct the other two. Kristoff began to panic as the man to his right forcefully grabbed his right hand and slam it onto the kitchen counter. He desperately tried pulling away, pulling and pulling his arm but it wouldn't budge. He gasped when he saw the leader pull a large kitchen knife out from the knife holder.

_Dear God!_

"What are you doing?! Just tell me what I did…I'll fix it! Stop please!" Kristoff writhed around helplessly, but his hand that was palm faced down on the counter didn't budge. Pure dread flooded through his body when he saw the leader come toward Kristoff with the knife, looking down at his hand.

He heard him speak. "Which one did she say?"

"She any of the three in the middle, not the pinky or thumb."

"Right."

"NOOO!" He watched in horror as the man brought the knife up to his index finger and held the blade over it threateningly. He looked up to Kristoff. "I have a message for you. If you speak of or reveal _anything_ to _her, _your music career is over."

Kristoff's hand was shaking as the leader brought down the knife so that the sharp blade was touching his skin. He started lightly moving the side to side, slowly slicing the top layer of Kristoff's skin.

"AHHH!" The pain seared up his finger and through his arm. "STOP PLEASE!"

The man stopped, maintaining the blade's position sitting in his top layer of skin. His finger started to bleed. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Kristoff was shaking all over, overcome with terror. He nodded vigorously. "Y-yes! Yes I understand! I won't tell anything to Anna! Please! Please don't cut my finger off please! Oh god…"

"Does _she _have your word?"

"Yes! Yes! Tell my mother I won't tell anything to anyone…just…please!" Kristoff couldn't help but let a few sobs escape.

The leader put down the knife, letting it clatter on the counter. "Alright, that's good enough. Let's go."

He felt the two men release their grips, and Kristoff fell to the floor, clutching his hand. "Oh god!" He sobbed.

He watched the three men exit the trailer home, leaving the door open. He heard the sedan roar and then the tires crunching in the dirt fade. Sensing their departure, Sven, with his little tail tucked under his body, tentatively made his way toward Kristoff. Kristoff picked him up and held him close, and they both trembled in fear.

* * *

The days were getting warmer in Arendelle. Warm enough for Nurse Olden to insist that Elsa spend at least 15 minutes outside to get her daily dose of vitamin D. Today was especially warm, so Elsa, at the insistence of her favorite N.N., decided to go outside and lounge by the château poolside with Kristen's company.

They were lying on their individual lounge chairs by the pool. Elsa was still wearing her usual sweatpants and v-neck, but had a two-piece underneath just in case. She looked at Kristen lying on the reclined chair next to her. Elsa had asked her to read a book aloud so both of them could enjoy it. She stared at Kristen's lips as they punctuated every single word perfectly. "By a name, I know not how to tell thee who I am. My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself…Because it is an enemy to thee. Had I it written, I would tear the wound."

Elsa giggled when Kristen changed her tone to signal the change of character in the book. "My ears have yet not drunk a hundred words, Of thy tongue's uttering, yet I know the sound. Art thou not Romeo, and a Montague?"

As Kristen continued to read the Shakespeare in an overly dramatic voice, Elsa sat in wonder. These days had been so perfect with her. It almost felt too good to be true, like Anna had come back. Elsa felt a slight tinge of guilt and confusion. Was she, perhaps, in a way…replacing Anna with Kristen somehow? If she were, would it be alright for her to do so? But, they were almost the same. But they were two different people, Elsa reminded herself.

She brought up her hand and touched her heart locket. Was Anna in heaven looking down on her? Would Anna be upset that she was starting to love somebody else? Was her mind playing tricks on her, making her fall in love with somebody because they looked like Anna? And there was the question of this girl even feeling the same way. Sometimes she felt her mind was making things up. She was loving, caring, and supportive, but she was an N.N., and they were _supposed_ to care for her. Was she twisting things? They did danced together the other night, but they were both drunk. Girls danced together all the time at clubs. _And _she had a boyfriend. Elsa also had Hans, but, whatever.

Elsa cringed a little when she thought of that clubbing night, because her mother had directly berated her for that night. A government employee had taken a cell phone picture of her and Kristen dancing. It spread like wildfire throughout the government.

"_Do you know how bad this could've been?! This is your future we're talking about! The future of the government, the future of Arendelle!"_

_Her mother was fuming. Elsa just looked down at the picture before her, afraid to look her mother in the eyes. She was relieved that although her face was clear in the photo, Kristen's head was nodded down a bit, making her identity unclear._

"_Now…nobody is fessing up to who this other girl in the picture is. It sure better not be another N.N.. And have you forgotten? You are engaged to someone…have you forgotten what an engagement is? If other countries saw an engaged woman acting like this…"_

_Elsa anxiously waited for the scolding to be over with so she could go and ball up into her bed and nap._

"_You are extremely lucky, young woman, that the photo was able to be contained within our government boundaries. If this got out into the public media…"_

Elsa started to feel dizzy. She had been breathing unevenly again, her thoughts churning forth her anxiety. She pressed a finger against her wrist, checking her pulse. It was much too fast.

_Alright Elsa, breathe. Focus on your breaths. Focus on the present moment. Don't think about the past or the future._

Her mind quickly pushed everything out of her head to avoid dwelling on it. Her mind was good at that. Elsa recollected herself, and focused on her breathing. She listened to her inner dialogue directing her to enjoy the moment, and she brought her focus onto the girl before her. Kristen was still theatrically reading the scene aloud in a variety of voices. She started to feel herself relax a bit, and she felt calmer as she took in Kristen and all her goodness.

Her blue uniform top was unbuttoned from the top about three buttons down because of the heat of that day. Elsa grinned. She had an idea.

She sat up and started to pull off her sweatpants. She carefully folded them up and set them aside on the table between her and Kirsten. She saw Kristen stop and look over.

"Keep reading, I'm just going to tan a little."

"Oh…uh…o-okay…"

She saw Kristen bury her face deeper into the book, her voice muffled a bit now. "Uhh...my true-love passion. T-therefore pardon me, and not impute this y-yielding to light love, which the dark…"

As Kristen continued to read, she pulled off her light blue v-neck and folded that up as well, setting in on top of her pants. She was preparing herself to get wet. Now only in her bikini, she leaned back and let her body soak up the sun for a little. She noticed Kristen's voice was more muffled. She looked over and saw Kristen covering up her whole face with the book.

"Lady, by y-yonder…um….yonder blessed moon I vow. That tits-TIPS! TIPS! I meant tips…*ahem* sorry…tips with silver…all these fruit-tree tops-"

"Hey Kristen…don't freak out, but I think I saw a bug or something crawl into the back of your shirt just now."

"WHAT!?"

Kristen bolted up from her chair, letting the book fly from her hands onto the floor. She frantically and awkwardly started slapping at her back.

"WHERE?! WHERE?!"

"I don't see it! I think you'll need to take your shirt off!"

Kristen listened and swiftly pulled the blue shirt over her head, dropping it to the floor. She turned her bare back to Elsa.

"Do you see it?! Is it gone?"

"Shoot I just saw it crawl down the back of your pants!"

"WHAT!?"

Kristen started slapping the back rim of her pants to try to kill the imaginary bug.

"Kristen! I think you have to take your pants off! What if its down your pant leg already?"

"EEEK!"Kristen immediately started unbuttoning her pants and started kicking them off frantically. Once they were off she turned her backside to Elsa, her front facing the pool, now only in her underwear and bra.

"Hurry! D'you see it? Did I get it? Oh my god is there a dead squashed bug on my butt?!"

Elsa stood up and walked over to Kristen. "Hmm…let me see…" She gently pushed Kristen forward a few steps, nearing her towards the pool so that she was right up against the edge.

"Hmm…I don't see it…wait…is that it?"

"Ewww get it!"

Elsa grinned, glad that her plan worked perfectly. Kristen still facing the pool, Elsa stood up and tightly wrapped her arms around her from behind. She then started leaning both of them forward towards the water.

"Elsa?...Elsa! AHHHH!"

With a big splash, both girls fell straight into the pool. Elsa let Kristen go and kicked her way up to the surface, and when she emerged, she burst out laughing.

She saw Kristen sputter as her face emerged up from the water "Oh my god! Elsa! Why you…"

Elsa was met with a wall of water. Kristen started splashing Elsa, flailing her hands into the water and sending splashes into her face. She heard her laugh.

Elsa started splashing back, and couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of their childish behavior when they were both in their twenties.

And for the rest of the time outside in the pool that day, they gleefully laughed, splashed and played in the sun together, forgetting about their worries, fears and problems. It was nothing but the two of them, relishing in each other's presences. It was childlike bliss that neither of them had experienced with each other in a long, long time.


	28. Elsa's Massage Session

"Aaaayyyyy there she is." Kristoff brought the bottle down from his lips to see Kristen making her way back from the bus stop. He was sitting on the doorway steps looking out into the small yard. She waved to him.

"Krrrrristennn." He was drunk. He looked at Sven sitting next to him. "Herre lil' guy…have some a'dis." He sloppily brought the bottle to Sven's mouth and tried to tip the liquid into the small animal. "Cmon! It'll calm your nerves. Truss me." Sven flayed his ears backwards and pointed his nose away from the opening of the bottle.

"Erik…what are you doing to Svennie?" Kristen was coming up the stairs. "Wait…are you drinking?"

"Krrristen….Don't go inside…somebody make a mess. Wait…why'zur hair wet?"

"What?" Kristen stepped over Kristoff's body and peered inside. He heard her gasp.

"Oh my god…what happened?!"

Kristoff lifted up the bottle of alcohol and pushed it against her hand so that she'd grab it. "Here…maybe you could use summa diss…"

She stepped into the trailer home behind him. Kristoff didn't turn around and took another swig. He heard her stepping on the clutter inside. She was looking around. "Jesus, who did this Erik? Does this have something to do with Frederick?" He heard her in the kitchen now, stepping on the broken plates and metal utensils.

He didn't reply and leaned his head down, setting aside the bottle.

"Erik did they hurt you? Are you alright?" He heard Kristen run over and place her arms around his shoulders from behind. He suddenly felt a wave of guilt crash over him. He brought his hands up to his face to cover his watering eyes. "Kristtennn…you'll leave mee *hic*…"

"Erik what are you talking about? Stop drinking…" He heard Kristen move the bottle further away from him.

"*hic* they took urr necklace…"

He felt her hands on his body tense. She quickly got up and ran to her jewelry box. There was silence from the bedroom. Then, she walked back and sat down next to him. "Erik did they hurt you?"

He felt Kristen lift his head away from his hands so she could search for any injuries. He didn't deserve her. He felt disgusted with himself.

"Erik! Your cheek!" Her face was wrought in worry as she gently touched the raw cheek. "Oh no...Erik…"

"I'm fine!" He brushed off her hand and turned his face away. He couldn't bear to receive such kindness from her, considering what he did to her. He wasn't worthy.

"Let me get something from the freezer to ice it…" She began to stand up.

"No! Waait…" He pulled her back down. "Kristenn….his voice began to quiver as a tear dropped to the ground. He angrily wiped the first few away.

"Oh no…oh Erik…"

"You'll never come back…if I tell you…I want you tell you, *sniff* but you'll never forgive me. I'm scared Kristen...they'll *hic* take my fingers."

She felt Kristen bring his head to her shoulder, and wrap her arms around his neck. "Shhhh I don't care who did this right now…let's get you sobered up and fix up that cheek."

Kristoff continued to wail. "Nooo…I can't do it. I don't wanna…I can't. If I tell you then you'll leave me…*hic* and they'll take away my music…I-I-I'm scared."

"Erik…don't worry. I'll never leave you. This Kristen will never leave you…shhhhh...and nobody will take your fingers," she said as she petted his hair. She picked up his hand and kissed his fingers and held onto them. Kristoff was glad it was the other hand and not the one with the cut on it.

"Ooohh god…" Kristoff wept into her shoulder, overwhelmed by immense shame, guilt, and love. He couldn't let her go.

* * *

"Just...just don't expect anything great or...anything."

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure you'll do fine."

Kristen was standing behind Elsa, who was sitting on a chair in front of her makeup desk. They were both facing the mirror, although Elsa was closing her eyes. Kristen was just beginning her first ASMR session with Elsa. The first step in the guide said to begin with a head and neck massage to release any tension. She secretly inhaled Elsa's sweet shampoo scent as she gently drove her fingers into her scalp, massaging and kneading her head.

She took a big breath in, and exhaled slowly. She was very nervous. ASMR sessions were one of the hardest tasks for an N.N.. It consisted of them not only pampering and relaxing the client, but also narrating the steps to them in soft and gentle voice. She read in the textbook that clients found it relaxing that they knew what was happening to them. Kristen moved her fingers to Elsa's temples and started rubbing them in a circular motion. She made sure to speak clearly and gently. "We're now going to move over to your temples. Your temples are pressure points that hold several meridians. When you stimulate the blood vessels here, you are opening and expanding them, allowing blood flow into the veins. It eases tension in your head."

She did her best to apply firm, but gentle pressure her temples so that Elsa would be able to receive more blood flow. She wanted Elsa to be pain-free.

Because it was clear. She cared for Elsa. Deeply. She was unquestionably drawn to her. She wanted to wipe away her tears and anxieties and be there for her, all the time. All she wanted for this sweet, poor girl was every happiness. She wondered if the other N.N.'s that had gotten fired felt this way too. She wondered if she was just under her spell, like they were.

She moved down her hands down to her neck. "Now let's move down to the neck and shoulders." She retraced her memory to remember the textbook facts. "So...stress and anxiety causes people to clench their muscles, especially in the shoulder and neck areas."

She paused, firmly but tenderly digging her thumbs into Elsa's taught shoulders. "Blood flows through the muscles of your neck, and when these muscles tense up and squeeze the blood vessels, the blood gets constricted and then you feel pain." Kristen felt a knot and started to rub deeply into it. "When neck muscles are tight, it also puts additional stress on delicate structures that can interfere with nerve conduction."

"God that feels good..." Elsa groaned in pleasure as she leaned her head down so Kristen could rub it with more ease.

A shiver ran up her spine. Kristen held her breath.

_Focus!_

Kristen shook her head to get rid of the flickering feelings. She recollected herself and focused on her shoulders.

When she felt that the knot had disappeared, she searched her other side for knots. She found another and firmly kneaded into it. Her eyes started to wander and outline Elsa's elegant neck and shoulders. _Her shoulders are so firm with muscles, but kind of limber at the same time, tender and delicate..._

For a moment, she paused and wondered what the sensation would be like if she brought her lips to her shoulders, and kissed her, trailing the kisses softly up to her neck.

_Kristen...focus!_

She nervously cleared her throat and brought her attention back. She thought about her next step. The hard part was yet to come. Most neurosis nurses applied moisturizing creams, cleansing creams, applied nutritional pastes, and groomed her face by grooming her eyebrows. Kristen was _not _prepared for that. She anxiously looked down at her bag full of face paints and brushes. In the textbook, she'd read that some N.N.'s used face painting for the younger clients with anxiety disorders.

"Umm...so...we're gunna start the main part of ASMR now." She stopped massaging and made her way in front of Elsa. She felt uncomfortably close to her now with Elsa looking up at her, almost trapped between the makeup desk and her. She nervously wrung her fingers, intertwining them together. "So, umm...I was wondering...if it was alright...that...well...I don't feel _quite _ready...to do all that other complex stuff. So _*ahem*_ would it be okay if I painted your face?"

Elsa looked confused. "Paint my face? What do you mean?"

Kristen brought up her hand to tuck her air behind an ear. "Umm...like face painting? Like how they do at carnivals and stuff? Like...I can paint a snowflake on your cheek, or make your face look like a tiger's face...they do it for younger kids with anxiety. It's supposed to make them feel cared for and important...well, not that you don't feel that way...I mean of course I feel that way about you...er...I mean...anyways...so would it be okay if I started off with face painting, then for our next session I could try the other harder stuff?"

She saw Elsa give her a small, adoring smile. "Sure, why not?"

"Awesome." Feeling relieved, she grabbed her N.N. bag and turned away from Elsa to set it on the makeup desk. She started bringing out her brushes, tissues, wipes, paint box set, and cotton balls. "So...would you like me to draw on your face?"

"Mmmm...how about a snowflake? And if I like it, maybe you could do a tiger like you said."

"Sure, okay," Kristen replied without turning around. She nervously arranged the items on the makeup table. "Oh shoot, let me go get some water."

She looked back at Elsa, who gave her a reassuring nod. Kristen ran to the bathroom and found a rinsing cup next to the sink, and filled that with water. She carefully carried it back and squeezed between Elsa and the makeup table, setting the cup by the paint box set. She felt Elsa's eyes watching her.

She finally turned around and faced Elsa sitting in front of her, who was waiting. She inhaled. "So...right...snowflake." She thought for a moment, thinking what the first step was.

_K, wipe face, remove any makeup and debris...oh gosh I'm gunna be so close to her face, my hands on her face..._

She started to grow warm. She quickly turned around. "K, so I'm going to clean your face now." She noticed her voice was getting a bit high pitched and edgy.

"Er, sorry...mean, I'm going to be wiping and cleansing your face of any makeup and debris with these face wipes here," Kristen tried to say in the most calming and relaxed voice. She was sure she sounded weird more than anything.

She reached down and opened the facial cleansing wipes pack. She drew a single damp tissue cloth, then prepared herself. She turned around and looked down at Elsa, who was looking at her with a small, peculiar smile. Her eyes were twinkling. She took a deep breath. "Alright Elsa, so if you'll close your eyes now..." Elsa listened and closed her eyes, tilting her face slightly upward for Kristen.

Still holding her breath, Kristen took a step forward and leaned down a bit. She brought the cloth to her face and started ever so gently wiping Elsa's face, starting with her forehead.

_I am so close to her face. I am so close. I am touching her face. God her face is flawless...it's perfect._

Kristen slowly wiped her way down to her cheeks, dabbing the supple flesh with the cloth. She began to feel her face grow warmer and warmer. She saw that there were light freckles on her cheeks, and her skin felt smooth under the cloth.

_She's so beautiful._

She wiped her free and sweaty hand down her pant leg to wipe off the sweat. She continued to gently wipe Elsa's face, now traveling down to her chin. Kristen bit her lip. Her breathing began to get heavier as she dabbed around her chin and mouth, and lips. Those lips. She felt her face getting hot.

_I wonder how it must feel...what the sensation might feel like..._

She had a huge urge to place her own lips onto hers. How good they must feel, how soft, and firm. Kristen licked her lips. Her body started to churn with desire.

Kristen was slightly jumped when Elsa opened her eyes. She'd realized that she had stopped wiping and had been staring straight at Elsa's lips. She blushed, and quickly turned around. "Oops! Heh...sorry I just...was trying to figure out what to do next. Let's see let's see..._*ahem* _umm...snowflake. Right." She hurriedly picked up a brush and dipped it into the water. She opened her face painting box set and dipped the brush into a white paint square. She whipped around and braced herself. Elsa closed her eyes again.

"Okay here we go. Now I'm going to apply th-" As she brought the brush to Elsa's cheek, she realized she had grabbed the absolute wrong brush. It was thick and for painting huge streaks.

_Shoot!_

She quickly turned around and jumbled through the paintbrushes, searching for a small thin one. When she found one, she quickly dipped it in the water and dipped it in the paint box. She turned around again. Elsa was still closing her eyes, waiting.

She swallowed and brought herself close to Elsa's face. She made sure not to breathe too heavily, but she couldn't help it. Her heart was racing, her palms sweaty, and her mind swirling with too many thoughts. She made sure not to look at Elsa's lips. They'd overpower her. She was aching to kiss them.

She brought up an unsteady arm and placed the thin brush tip to her smooth cheek. She started to draw.

_Crap!_

She had recklessly dipped this brush into the wrong color. It was red. She pulled the brush back to reveal a small red streak on Elsa's cheek.

_Oh god..._

"Oh...geez...sorry Elsa I just made one little...hold on a sec." Her voice was shaking a little.

She spun around. She didn't know if she could do this. She was on edge. The craving was so strong now, the hunger to kiss her, to hold her, to hug her and caress her face.

_Focus...don't be the third nurse..._

Gathering herself up again, she took a deep breath and set aside the brush. She pulled up another cleansing cloth to wipe off the mistake.

She turned around and saw Elsa looking up at her. Her facial expression now was...perplexing to Kristen. It was more serious, intense...and focused, on her. Elsa closed her eyes again.

"Let me just...clean it off." Kristen stepped in closer and brought the cloth up to Elsa's cheek, gently wiping the red off. A strong force pulled her gaze down to Elsa's lips against her will. She felt her face nearing Elsa's. She was irresistibly drawn to her. She couldn't control her body. The urges were overpowering. She was thirsty, parched, and she wanted to taste her, to drink Elsa in. Her heart pounding, Kristen brought her other hand up to the other side of Elsa's face. Holding her face in between her palms, she ran a thumb over Elsa's cheek. She was captivated, and she couldn't control herself.

Elsa then opened her eyes, and Kristen stared back into them. That was it. Her mind and body flooded and gushed over with an uncontainable hunger. She closed the gap between their faces, plunging her lips onto Elsa's, gripping her face in her hands. She surrendered everything, dropping the cleansing towel as she felt Elsa kiss her back. It was strong, forceful and wanting. An overwhelming surge of passion and pleasure coursed through her body as she leaned deeper into the kiss, submitting to her animalistic desires. She felt Elsa's hands wrap around her waist and pull her in tighter. Kristen leaned over and sat herself down on Elsa's lap, straddling her.

She'd been wanting this, wanting Elsa more than anything. As her lips careened and ground passionately into Elsa's fleshy lips, she could think of nothing else but wanting and longing so badly for Elsa right now. She didn't care about anything else. She couldn't care about being seduced, about being the third nurse, about the consequences of anything. Hot blood was rushing all around and through her body; it had been needing, waiting, yearning for this moment.

She felt Elsa bring her hands down to her bottom, and felt herself being lifted up. She couldn't pull her lips away from Elsa and kept her eyes closed and continued to take her lips in as she was carried over to the bed.

Kristen felt herself being laid down on the mattress and she opened her eyes and saw Elsa seductively climb on top of her. She looked into her face and saw an intense, carnal hunger in her eyes, her cheeks pink, flushed with arousal. She brought her hand up to Elsa's cheek, and Elsa dove in to kiss her again. Kristen closed her eyes to drink in every taste, every sensation.

Kristen bit her lip hard as Elsa started to dribble wet kisses down her neck. It was so sensual, it was driving her wild. Elsa's lips against her neck were so soft and plush. She felt her slippery tongue lick hungrily against her sensitive skin.

_Fuck..._

Elsa started to undo Kristen's buttons, one by one. It was agonizing to wait for her to undo all of them. Kristen breathed heavily as she waited, her shirt slowly opening and separating apart to the sides one button a time. Kristen could tell Elsa was good at this. She'd had experience. Kristen reached down and wrapped her hands into Elsa's hair, stroking and coaxing for her to continue.

Finally, when Elsa had unbuttoned the last bottom button, Kristen felt her start to plant soft kisses on her stomach, and she let herself groan. She was on fire. She'd never been this turned on in her life; it was so erotic and sensual. Her body was raging with pleasure as Elsa's wet kisses made their way up her bare stomach, then her chest, which was rising up and down heavily with her heavy breathing. Kristen wrapped her arms around Elsa's body, her hands caressing and gripping her back. She wanted to feel Elsa. She wanted to take off her shirt.

"Take it off..." Kristen whimpered into Elsa's ear. Elsa was dragging her lips and tongue up her neck at that point, making her shudder with pleasure. Elsa obeyed and sat up, slipping the v-neck off with ease. She leaned down and started kissing Kristen on the lips again, bringing her cool, bare body and spreading it over Kristen's skin.

Kristen groaned in ecstasy at the sensation of their bare upper bodies rubbing and pressing into each other. She reached around again and grasped with her hands every curve of Elsa's slender back. She ran them down until she reached Elsa's sweatpants, and then she went further down and dragged her hand down her bottom and pulled her in closer, giving a small, yearning squeeze. Elsa was occupying inch and crevice of Kristen's mind, body, and soul. She lifted and bent a leg up so that it was between Elsa's legs, and she felt Elsa sink into it gently and spread her core deeper into her thigh. She heard Elsa moan in her ear, and Kristen bit her lip at the sound. She wanted her. She wanted her now. She wanted every bit of Elsa. Her mind could think of nothing else. Her body was surging full of intense, passionate, lustful, fire. Anything that Elsa touched sent shivers up her spine and made her shudder. Suddenly, Kristen heard one word escape Elsa's mouth in a soft, ethereal whisper.

"_Anna~"_

Kristen froze. She was shocked. Almost instantaneously her world crashed down around her. An absolute terrible feeling washed over her. She saw Elsa quickly sit up and look down at her, her face full of fear and regret.

"Kristen! Shit...I meant Kristen..._shit..._oh my god I'm so so_-"_

Kristen felt her heart break into a thousand pieces. She suddenly remembered everything that Hans had said, about Elsa using her to fill Anna's place. That it wasn't _her_ that Elsa wanted, but this other girl Anna. Kristen suddenly felt totally dejected, out of place, and overcome with anguish. She felt her eyes start to water.

"I have to go." She got up and removed herself from under Elsa's body. The room began to blur as her eyes brimmed with tears. She quickly crawled off the bed and started to run to the wooden doors.

"Kristen! I'm so sorry...please! I didn't mean to...It was a mistake!"

She felt a warm tear drop onto her arm as she pried open the heavy doors. She didn't care about any of her belongings that she'd left behind. She just needed to get out of there. Now. She slipped through the doors and blindly ran as fast as she could down the hallway, eyes full of tears and heart full of pain.

_I'm such a fool..._

"Kristen! I'm so sorry...please!"

Crushed, Kristen ran down the hallway crying and didn't look back.


	29. Turning Point

**a/n: **for those readers just joining now, welcome and thanks for sticking with the story this far! so, when i was writing this thing and updating in the past, i posted interesting tidbits pertaining to each chapter every time i updated on my tumblr. if you go to my tumblr (link provided on my fanfiction profile page), and click the 'aiswy tidbits' link to the left and scroll past some of the more current posts, you'll find some interesting facts about the story. for instance, you'll find the story of will west (true story), what elsa and anna wore to the club, what heidi and anna drank at the club, what kirby and samus look like, what restaurant shrimp hut is based on, etc. so if you want, go check it out!

enough of my rambling. hope you enjoy the remaining chapters.

* * *

Elsa reached up and stroked her heart locket. She must look terrible right now; hairs astray and bags under her eyes, puffy and red from the endless weeping. She hadn't slept well or eaten properly in the past week. The ceaseless, anxious churning in the pit of her stomach was almost unbearable.

She looked up to see her psychologist intently looking back at her.

"You were right doc. I hurt her...so bad. I..." Her lips began to quiver. Elsa hung her head. She'd never felt such a raw, aching feeling of shame, just throbbing away at her tender heart.

Her psychologist stayed silent. Elsa didn't know if she was judging her, silently saying, _"I told you so,"_ or if she simply didn't know what to say next. Elsa didn't care. She deserved the judgment. She should've listened to her from the beginning, or else Kristen wouldn't have gotten hurt the way she did.

"I don't know why I did it. I know Anna's gone, but...it felt so good in the moment. Everything, every moment with Kristen, it almost felt like Anna was back, and it was heaven. I'm just...I'm just so frustrated! I can't do this anymore! Life is meaningless without her! I want to die! I want to be with Anna! This is torture!" She slammed her fist against the armchair.

But Dr. O'Meara didn't say anything. Elsa huffed in and out in silence.

_This isn't about me. I hurt Kristen._

The throbbing was more powerful, more aching now. A painful ball started to well up in her throat. She tried to swallow it down. She reached up and touched her locket again, and finally heard Dr. O'Meara speak.

"Miss Elsa, you told me that locket had special meaning for you and Anna, correct?"

Elsa gave a nod. She heard her psychologist sit up.

"Elsa, I'm afraid the only way to get past this pain is to let Anna go. You _have _to let her go, or this pain will be endless. You will continue to see Anna everywhere you go, and you will continue to see Anna in Kristen, and project Anna onto Kristen." She heard the psychologist sigh, and continue.

"I'm not going to sugar coat it. Kristen can _never_ be Anna, don't you understand that? She can never be the person who you want her to be. You're trying to make Kristen someone she's not, and it's awfully burdensome, hurtful, and upsetting to both of you. Perhaps, deep down Kristen may even _want _to be this Anna, now that she's fallen for you. But she can't, and I think that's what is hurting her the most. That_ and_ the fact that she thinks you don't like _her _for who she is, but who she resembles or reminds you of."

A hot tear landed on Elsa's wrist. The words stung, mostly because they were true. _I hurt her so much. I'm a terrible, horrible person._

"I want to try something, Miss Elsa."

Elsa didn't look up. She couldn't.

"I want you to take off the necklace for me, perhaps just for a moment."

Elsa shot an incredulous look at her psychologist, almost offended at the suggestion.

"Please, I know it's frightening. It's the only physical connection you have left with Anna. But, I think that if you free yourself of the necklace, it might help you let her go, first physically, then perhaps mentally."

Elsa clutched the locket tightly. She hated the idea, and it made her upset. She couldn't bear the idea of not wearing it. _But she was right about me hurting Kristen in the first place. She's my mentor._

"I know what's best for you, Miss Elsa. Put your trust in me." She held out her hand, implying for Elsa to hand over the locket.

_I have to let her go._

After hesitating for a long moment, Elsa slowly brought up her shaking hands to unclasp the necklace.

* * *

"Kristen, I'm home! I got you more chocolate and cream soda!" Kristoff called out in the cheeriest voice he could muster. He set the bag on the kitchen counter and peered into the bedroom. She was still curled up on the bed.

Kristoff sighed. She really didn't need to feel guilty. It was him that should be taking all the blame. Earlier in the week she had revealed everything about her N.N. work, and about her relationship with Elsa. She thought she'd betrayed him, and she felt guilty. She had no idea that he was a monster.

He picked up a pack of chocolates and a can of soda and headed into the room. "Feisty pants, I got you your favorites. Cream soda and chocolates."

Without moving, Kristen responded. "Throw over the chocolates, but don't get me the cream soda anymore...please."

He walked over and gently sat on the side of the bed. Kristen finally looked up at him with red, puffy eyes and said, "I don't deserve you. I feel so guilty."

Kristoff looked down at this shoes. The shame was unbearable. He changed the subject. "So, it's been a week. You're just...you're just not going to show up to work?"

"Yup."

Kristoff looked back at Kristen. He'd never seen her so depressed, so apathetic, or so fatigued in his life. She was a totally different person. Her spark was gone and it was very unsettling. He started to observe the room around him, which was a mess. Soda cans, chocolate wrappers, and fast food remnants lay scattered around the bed. He heard her speak.

"I don't think I can look her in the eyes again. She lured me in, and I fell for her. Just like her other nurses. And she wasn't even looking at _me. _She was looking at somebody else, the whole time."

Kristoff heard her sniff, and his heart split in two. She was crying, again. "Erik, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have even taken the job. I was a different person around her...I wanted..._I wanted_ to be a different person around her." She brought her hands to her face. "I _wanted_ to be _her."_

Kristoff closed his eyes, unable to bear the sight of her in such pain.

"Weird, I know." Kristen muttered between sniffs.

Kristoff looked down at the cut on his index finger. He swallowed, and cleared his throat. "Kristen...I-I need to tell you something."

She continued to softly cry into her hands. He couldn't take it anymore. He made up his mind, right then and there. He was going to do it. He was going to tell her. He loved Kristen with all his heart, and he couldn't stand to see her in such heartbreak. He made this happen, and he could've prevented it. He was doing this to her. No more. "Let's get you out of the house, Kristen. I want to take you somewhere." There was no turning back. Both their lives were going to change forever. The realization was terrifying, but he knew it was the right choice. He clutched his injured index finger. He was going to take her to Anna's house..._her _house. That's where he'd tell her, in her room, surrounded by her past and real identity.

"C'mon," Kristoff said gently, as he stroked her hair for the last time. "I want to take you somewhere. I have something to show you."

"No, I wanna stay here."

Kristoff gave a light, but sad chuckle. "Kristen, you won't regret going, I promise."

* * *

The light turned green, and Kristoff revved forward on his black motorcycle. He felt Anna grip tighter around his waist. He savored it, and soaked in every last touch with her.

_I'm telling her the truth. I have to give her back her happiness. I stole her away. She deserves so much better than this._

Kristoff turned a corner, but carefully so that this last motorcycle ride together would be as smooth as possible. He looked down at his index finger again.

_It's okay. Those five years with her were perfect, more than you could ever ask for. I would gladly give up a whole hand, no, my whole life for you Anna. You are my life, you gave me life. Thank you. You've showed me what love can be, what it is. You've shown me that life can be beautiful. I never deserved something like that._

He was getting closer to Anna's house, about six minutes away.

_You're on your way back home. Back to your father, back to Elsa, back to the life you once had. I'm so sorry. We're almost there, just hold on tight._

Just then, as he was entering a busy intersection, in the corner of his eye he saw a familiar black sedan heading straight for them with immense speed.

_Is it going to stop at the street light?!_

But it didn't. Right as Kristoff was zooming through the intersection, the black sedan rammed hard into both Kristoff and Anna, and he heard her scream through her helmet.

"ANNA!" Kristoff screamed out as they both flew into the air. He violently landed and slid into the hard, black gravel. He felt a searing burn in his leg as he finally came to a stop. He ripped off his helmet and looked down. His leg was charred red, burned from skidding against the pavement. But it didn't matter. He looked up and frantically searched for Anna.

"ANNA!" He yelled, but there was no answer.

Then, he saw her, and his heart dropped. She was lying on her back motionless, her helmet still on her head. He sprinted over to her, the pain in his leg shooting up and all through his body.

"Oh god..." Kristoff knelt down and quickly ran his eyes up and down her body. There were no visible injuries or scratches. She always wore good padding when riding the motorcycle, with jeans and a leather jacket. But there might be internal injuries. He looked at her helmet, and he gasped. There was a huge crack in it. She must've hit her head. Hard. She was unconscious.

"HELP! Somebody call 911!"

* * *

"Kristen...can you hear us?"

_What?_

She felt groggy, heavy, and hazy. She started to open her eyes, but everything was white. The whiteness seared into her skull, and she clamped her eyelids shut to escape the pain. She suddenly felt her head throb with an intense aching. She moaned, and gripped her head with her hands.

_Where am I?_

"You've been in an accident and you're in the hospital. Can you hear us?"

She grimaced as she slowly pulled her eyes open. _Hospital?_

"Kristen, how do you feel?"

_Kristen?Wha-_

Suddenly, what felt like a thousand lightning bolts shot through and electrocuted her soul. She gasped loudly, and threw up both hands to cover her gaping mouth. Her body started trembling, shaking violently. Her world began to spin. A thundering wave of realization crashed over her. A sob escaped from her mouth, and her eyes welled with tears. She couldn't breath.

Anna remembered.

_Everything._

**-End of Part 2-**


	30. Part 3: Coming To

**a/n: **Firstly, you guys. I'm speechless. I know I was feeling bummed out last week, but your reviews/comments/words of encouragements have totally given me strength to finish this thing. It's because of you all that this story will go on. Whoever has been sharing the story on the internet, I am truly, truly grateful. I wish I could give you all a hug! I read each review at least three times I think. If this story was a rose, you guys are the baby's breath. It's you all that makes everything so much more beautifuller. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Anyways, onto the next point. Advised by a dear internet friend of mine, it was suggested that I make sure everyone is aware of the fact that this story is based off a tv drama. Initially I had announced this in my little summary, so the first batch of followers know this fact. But it was taking up too much room so I put the blurb in my profile page, where it has been and will continue to be.

But now that most of the spoiler moments that mirror the drama are over, I'd like to make it very clear that this story is indeed adapted from the television drama "Stairway to Heaven." Major plot points are similar, but if you watch the drama, I think you'll find that I've made a lot of things different in "AISWY."

I'd say maybe ½ of the material in AISWY is adapted from the drama. The rest is original. If you guys want, I can make a compare/contrast list and post that to tumblr (neurosis nurse, Elsa's anxiety/depression, Hans's minor eating disorder symptoms, Kristoff's finger dilemma, all elsanna fluff, pool and club scene, etc etc etc are original). Things like the necklace, scarf, overall plot of part 1, umbrella scene, etc are adapted from the drama.

And from what I did borrow, I gave it my own twist. Example: Rose Gold Chapter. In the drama, Elsa's character (who is male btw) gives Anna a new outfit to wear, which the jealous Hans (another female in the movie) wears the next day. That aspect of it is the same. What I've made different is Elsa giving Anna not an outfit, but a _watch _in "AISWY." I decided to make it more symbolic that Hans takes a watch away from Anna because in the near future, Hans steals time away from Anna. It's the time, the five years that Anna could've had together with Elsa. He also stole away the time she and Elsa spent together in the past from Anna's memory. And the watch is super rare, only 10 in the world. So it's not just any old watch, but an extremely precious watch that reflects the exceptional and precious love that Elsa and Anna have for each other.

From this point on in "All I Saw Was You", I significantly veer off from the story (for the exception of two heart-gripping scenes), because if I follow the plot of "Stairway to Heaven," things get dark and sad really fast, and I personally didn't like how they progressed from this point. I will provide a link to the drama to watch for free on my tumblr (on my profile page). For people just joining now, if you search for a little bit, you'll find it under the "AISWY tidbits" button.

I'm currently brainstorming for another story, which is a cover of a movie and I think it'll be really, really interesting and dramatic, and I'm super excited about it. Just like how people cover songs on youtube, and just like how Frozen was an adaptation of an earlier story, I'd like to cover original stories and give them a different twist or shake things up. There are all these stories in the media specifically about a brave male protagonist saving the day, or stories only focusing on straight, heteronormative relationships. What I love about fan fiction is that we have the freedom to take such stories, and reclaim them to mean something more meaningful to those that do not see themselves, their interests, etc being validated or expressed in the media.

Maybe one day I'll make original content, but for now that's my plan, to be a "cover girl." This is a free space on the internet where I can make any creative choices. I'm really sorry if you were disappointed by the fact that this is not an original story, and I intentionally chose to make it clear in the summary, but as I said before I removed it for a better summary, which I was told was extremely important.

So I guess this announcement had three purposes: 1) THANK YOU 2) make it clear that this story is adapted from a drama 3) I am in the brainstorming stage of "covering" another movie story, that I will announce at the end of "AISWY."

Now, hope you enjoy the next chapter of AISWY!

-oikos

* * *

_Throbbing. Throbbing. Throbbing._

The dull aching of his leg became an excruciating throbbing as Kristoff started come to consciousness. He moaned as he finally pried his eyes open and looked down to see bandages wrapped tightly around his left calf muscle.

_Anna._

He looked around and saw that he was in a hospital room. A nurse was at the foot of his bed looking down at a clipboard. He looked up at Kristoff. "Awake Mr. Bjorgman?" he said pleasantly. "The morphine should be helping, but your leg really got ripped into. Everything is working fine and you can walk, it'll just be painful for a while until the flesh wound heals."

"Anna. Where's Anna?"

The nurse paused and gave a confused look. "Who?"

"I mean Kristen...where is she? Is she okay?"

The nurse nodded his head, now understanding. "Ahh yes Kristen. She's in the room a few doors down. She had quite the concussion, but she's fine..." The nurse gave a troublesome look. "Well...not totally fine, actually. She woke up a couple hours ago, and she was very, very distressed. I really don't think it was brain damage, maybe it was the morphine..." The nurse held his chin and looked down at the chart in thought.

"What? Is she okay?"

The nurse looked back up at Kristoff. "Well, when she woke up she started crying and screaming, calling for someone named Elsa, and she was insisting her name was Anna. She was pretty frantic..."

Kristoff wasn't paying attention anymore. His body went cold. Her memory had returned...she knew. Anna knew everything. Sweat started to form on his brow and back, and an icy fear started to churn in his gut.

_I have to get out of here._

He brought back his focus to the nurse. "Is...is she still...?"

"No, we thought it might've been delusion from the morphine. Or she might've been acting that way just from the sheer pain of her concussion, so we thought it'd be best to give her some more morphine for pain relief. She's knocked out now, which is probably going to be the best for her. Poor girl, you never know how these concussions are going to affect people. She's going to be here for at least two days to recover."

Kristoff relaxed a little. He'd be able to escape the hospital while she was sleeping. He could never face her again. She knew everything, what he'd done to her.

"...so we took her cell phone and called her speed dial. The first one was your number, so we called #2, which was someone named Elsa according to the caller ID, which is fortunate because it was her Kristen was screaming out for-"

Kristoff's froze. "S-so...is Elsa here?"

The nurse gave an assuring smile. "Yep, don't worry. Elsa's by her bedside now, although Kristen hasn't woken up since we last gave her the morphine."

His mind was racing. Anna remembered everything. His nightmare had become a reality. It had happened. It was happening. His heart was palpitating and he felt his backside getting damper with sweat by the second.

"Alright it looks like you're fine. Let me just check your vitals real quick..." The nurse started to pull off his stethoscope.

"No, please...later, I'm fine...I just...I just some space. Give me five minutes," Kristoff pleaded. He didn't have time for this right now. The nurse looked slightly puzzled.

"Um, are you sure? Say, you're looking a little pale. Are you alright?"

"Please, just...five minutes." Kristoff's voice was shaking.

"Uhh, sure alright, five minutes. I'll give you some space..." Looking confused and a bit wary, the nurse walked back to the foot of the bed and placed Kristoff's chart back into the slot. As soon as the nurse walked out, Kristoff tried to get out of the bed.

_Fuck!_

The pain from his leg was almost blinding. Kristoff grimaced as he pushed through it, the fear of facing Anna much more motivating than any pain he was experiencing now. As he struggled out of the bed, he saw his clothes on the chair next to the door.

_I'm need to get out of here, _he thought quickly as he staggered to his clothes. _I'll run away, that's what I'll do. Nothing keeping me here anymore. When Anna wakes up, she'll be reunited with Elsa, everything's set. Find the bike, go home, pack, leave. Simple._

He grunted as he finally reached his pile of clothes and started to take off the hospital garment.

When he finally clothed himself, he looked around for his cellphone. It was nowhere in sight. He shrugged it off, wanting to get far away from Anna as soon as possible. He cautiously peered out of his room into the hallway. It was nighttime, and he wasn't sure what time, but he was thankful as there weren't too many nurses and people around.

Satisfied that the coast was clear, he crept out as silently as he could, stifling his grunts from the pain. He looked into the rooms as he passed them to his right, searching for Anna's room. As quietly as possible, he made his way past a door, then a second one. He peered into the third door, and his heart stopped. Her back was turned to him, but he knew it was the girl he hadn't seen in five whole years, Elsa, was sitting next to Anna's bed.

_At least they've found each other now._

Holding his breath, he crossed their doorway, clenching his teeth from the pain. When Elsa didn't turn around, he jumped to clear the way.

_Hew. Made it._

He started hobbling faster, his feet making uneven noises. He suddenly saw a nurse turn the corner and head towards him. He slowed to a casual hobble.

"Evening." Kristoff muttered as she passed.

"How are you doing tonight sir. Do you need any help?"

"Nope, just taking a quick walk, exercising a bit around the hall."

"Alright, have a good night."

"Y'too."

Kristoff peered behind him to see the nurse turn the corner. He started hobbling fast again, frantically searching for exit signs.

_Green sign, green exit sign..._

He finally saw one at the far end of a hallway, and headed straight for it. As he pushed open the handle the cold, the night air swept around him and cooled him off a bit.

_I'm free, for now. Find my motorcycle, get home, pack, then leave here forever._

* * *

The beeping of the heart rate monitor was oddly soothing. Every time it beeped, it was a constant reminder that Kristen was awake. Breathing. Alive. Elsa gently ran her thumb over Kristen's hand, feeling its warmth, proof that her blood was still circulating through it. Elsa looked up to her chest, intently observing it slowly rise and fall with her breathing, reassuring herself that air was getting into Kristen's body. She looked to the heart rate monitor screen one last time to make sure the hills and peaks were still materializing, one by one on the monitor.

When the hospital called her earlier that day, Elsa felt like she couldn't breathe until she got here. It was only until she was by Kristen's side that her autonomic system seemed to soothe over, sensing that Kristen was alright. Elsa looked down at Kristen's hand, now gripped safely between her own two hands. She brought her head down and tenderly kissed the top of her precious, precious hand.

_Please forgive me. I'll never hurt you again. I'll never, ever, ever do anything to hurt you again._

Elsa turned her head to see a nurse come in and approach the foot of her bed to check her chart. After flipping a few pages, he looked up at Elsa. "How's she doing, has she woken up yet? Should be any moment now."

Elsa shook her head. "Not yet."

The nurse looked back down at his notes. "Let's hope that the next time she wakes up, she'll be more calm, now that you're here. You wouldn't believe the commotion she caused, shouting for you."

Elsa looked back down at Kristen. "Thank you nurse." Elsa felt his eyes on her.

"Say...you look familiar. Have I seen you somewhere before?"

She kept her face towards Kristen. "No, I don't think so."

"Um, alright. Let me know when she wakes up."

She nodded her head as she heard the nurse exit. She brought back her attention towards the sleeping beauty in front of her. Kristen looked so peaceful and serene in her sleep. It had almost been an hour since she'd gotten here, but she could look at Kristen for hours. Elsa was supposed to be preparing for another diplomatic meeting tomorrow morning, but last was the last of her worries right now. That wasn't even half as important as the girl in front of her.

Out of habit, she reached up to stroke the locket, forgetting that is wasn't there anymore. She'd forgotten that she left in on her nightstand, as suggested by Dr. O'Meara. She felt herself start to grow anxious, but she repeated her inner dialogue. _The past is in the past. I'm here, right now, with Kristen._

Just then, she felt Kristen's finger twitch.

_Is she awake?!_

She stared down at the finger. It twitched again. Elsa's heart jumped.

"Kristen?" Elsa stood up and brought her hand to Kristen's forehead, stroking her bangs out of the way.

"K-Kristen, can you hear me?"

Elsa felt Kristen's whole hand start to move within her grasp. Her eyebrows started to lift, then scrunch up, and her face started to show signs of life. She was waking up.

"C-can you hear me?"

Kristen started to open her eyes, but Elsa could tell they were heavy from the drugs and she was struggling to open them. When she finally was able to partly open them, Elsa noticed her eyes looked dim from the influence of morphine. Kristen slowly started to take in her surroundings. Her eyes traveling to the right, scanning the room, then running up the bed, to Elsa's hand, then up to Elsa's face. She squeezed Kristen's hand, her heart fluttering. "Kristen, how do you feel? I'm here...I'm here for you."

Kristen brought her other hand to rub her eyes, still evidently dazed and unaware of her surroundings. "W...what?"

"Don't worry, take your time. You've been in an accident...but you're fine. They've given you some morphine, so you'll feel weird for a little. But they said you're fine."

Elsa's voice began to grow weak. She was so grateful, so thankful that she was alright. She brought up Kristen's hand to her mouth and lightly kissed it. "You're alright," she whispered.

She looked back at Kristen, whose gaze was now fixed right on Elsa. Her eyes were beginning to blink away the tiredness, opening wider with each blink. Elsa gave her a small smile. "How do you feel?"

But she didn't receive a reply. Elsa started getting concerned when Kristen started to widen her eyes beyond normal expression, until they were very, very round. They started to glisten.

_What's...what's wrong?_

"Kristen, are you alright? Does your head hurt?" There was worry in her voice. Kristen didn't look well. Elsa felt Kristen's hand start to tremble in her grip. Elsa placed a hand on her shoulder. To her alarm, Kristen was shaking.

"Kristen, are you alright? Does it hurt too much?" Elsa turned to look at the door, wondering if she should call a nurse. Then, she heard Kristen speak.

"E-Elsa..."

She turned her head back. The look on Kristen's face was extremely unsettling, full of panic. Kristen started breathing rapidly. She was getting frantic. Elsa felt herself start to get very, very anxious. "Kristen what's wrong?" Kristen's eyes were now brimming with tears.

_What's wrong!?_

"Does it hurt too much? Should I call a nurse? Kristen, talk to me!" She saw a tear glide down Kristen's cheek, which Elsa quickly reached up to wipe away. She turned her head towards the doorway to call a nurse, but right when she opened her mouth, she heard Kristen's small, trembling voice call her again.

"E-Elsa..."

She whipped her head around to see Kristen's cheeks wet with tears. "Elsa..."

"Yes, I'm here. I'm here for you. Just for you. Kristen, nobody else." She was shocked when Kristen began to bawl.

"Elsa...o-oh god...Elsa!"

"Kristen, talk to me! Please! What's wrong? Does it hurt? Are you okay? I'm going to call a nurse okay?"

"Elsa! It's-it's-it's...it's me..."

Elsa brought her hands to both sides of Kristen's cheeks, her heart breaking into pieces for the poor girl. "I know Kristen, I'm so sorry...I shouldn't, I shouldn't have said what I said. I'm so sorry. Please, please forgive me." Elsa felt her own eyes start to water. "I'm so sorry Kristen..."

"No!" Kristen reached up and tightly gripped both of Elsa's wrists. "Elsa! It's me...Anna! It's Anna!"

Elsa's jaw dropped slightly. She was stunned. She searched Kristen's eyes, trying to understand her, not knowing what to think. Kristen was clutching and gripping her, crying her name.

"Elsa!..._*sob* _Elsa, it's me, it's me Anna!" She paused to cry. "Elsa!"

Elsa brought her hands away from Kristen's face and clamped them together over her chest. She was scared, and ashamed. _This is all my fault, I did this to her. _Her psychologist's voice echoed through her head. _"I know deep down Kristen may even want to be this Anna, now that she's fallen for you. But she can't, and I think that's what is hurting her the most."_

"Oh god, Kristen, please, forgive me. It was a mistake...I swear. I'm so sorry." Elsa jumped when the heart rate monitor suddenly started beeping very loudly. She felt Kristen's hand reach and grab her arm, pulling her in closer.

"No! Elsa! It's Anna! It's ME." Her wailing was loud and was frightening Elsa. Elsa felt her chest start to tighten and her breathing start to grow shallow. She was panicking. She turned her head towards the door to see two nurses run in.

"What's the matter? Is she in pain?" One ran to her chart, while the other ran to the heart rate monitor.

She felt Kristen reach up and grasp at her neck. "W-w-where is it? Where's the necklace? Where's your necklace?"

Elsa was trembling. "Kristen...I-I did it. I took it off, I finally took it off. I did it for you, I took it off for you!" She took Kristen's hands and gripped them tightly. "Kristen, please! I'm here for you, and-and nobody else. Don't you see? I promise I won't hurt you anymore!"

Elsa couldn't bear to see Kristen like this. She was sobbing, wailing, crying out for her, claiming she was Anna.

_What have I done?_

"Elsa, you're going to have to leave. You being here is much worse." A nurse started to direct her out towards the door.

"NO! STOP! ELSA IT'S ME, IT'S ANNA."

_What have I done to this poor girl?!_

"It's the morphine, she's delusional from the pain and drugs. Todd, give her another hit."

Elsa turned to see Anna reaching out for her, wailing for her. "STOP! COME BACK, _*sob*_ PLEASE, IT'S ME...A-ANNA!"

Elsa stopped and desperately looked up to the nurse. "P-please! She needs me! This, this is my fault, but she needs me!"

The nurse forcefully directed Elsa further towards the door. "She needs rest, and this reaction was worse than last time. You being here isn't helping. Please, go. We'll call you when her head pain dulls. Should be around two days."

Elsa started breathing rapidly and felt extremely lightheaded. She felt cold sweat dampen her forehead. She turned around to see Kristen being held down by the nurse. "Miss, please! Calm down! You need to calm down!"

"ELSA! NO, PLEASE! IT'S ME..." She was sobbing uncontrollably.

_I'm so sorry!_

"Did you give her the hit?!" The nurse cried out.

"Yea she'll be down in a few moments," the other nurse grunted as she tried to contain Anna.

_This is all my fault! I'm so sorry Kristen..._

As the other nurse pushed Elsa out the door and into the hallway, her vision began to blur and she started seeing tunnel vision. Her body felt numb, and the only thing she was able to sense was the agonizing tightening of her chest, the sound of her heart pounding in her ears.

_She's like this because of me!_

She gripped her chest and fell on her fours, heaving in and out. She couldn't breath. The air wasn't getting through. It felt like her chest was ripping in half.

_It's all my fault..._

Her arms too weak to hold her up, she fell flat to the ground. She turned her body to look up at the ceiling, eyes wide, hyperventilating, gripping at the floor beneath her with her trembling hands to assure herself that the world wasn't spinning, but that it was just a panic attack. She tried to focus on the small flashlight the nurse was pointing into her eye.

"Elsa, Elsa...just breathe, you're alright...just stay with me..._stay with me_..."

* * *

**a/n:** Sorry this one's short, but the next two are going to be a lot longer to make up for it. Anyways, I've tried to avoid putting author's notes at the end of chapters. It really irks me because I like the end to really resonate with the reader, but bear with me this _one _time.

So, just using this chapter as an example, the only thing I borrowed from the drama is the fact of Elsa's character (a male) initially not believing Anna's character (a female) is really who she claims to be. Everything else (setting, characters, action) in this chapter is completely different and original.


	31. Unraveling

Sven was barking wildly as Kristoff struggled to climb the stairs. He swung the door open to find a highly agitated Chihuahua yapping angrily at him. Kristoff wasn't sure how long it'd been since they'd fed him.

After pouring the pup some dog chow, he staggered over to the bedroom to start packing. He still had plenty of time, two days, since Anna would be released from the hospital. But he wanted to leave now, and fast. He pulled out a suitcase from the closet and started to throw all his belongings into it. He took out the guitar case from deep in the closet, and went into the living room to fetch his instrument. He saw that Sven was almost done with his late dinner.

_Poor thing must've been hungry._

He hobbled back to the bedroom and placed his guitar into the case, securely closing it shut. Sven came zooming into the bedroom to happily greet Kristoff, now that his hunger had been appeased.

"Sorry lil' guy, I've gotta go. Take care of Kristen for me. Her name is Anna now." But of course Sven was oblivious, his tail wagging in excitement at the commotion of Kristoff packing.

As he began to throw his under garments into the suitcase, he saw Sven climb into it and curl up to take a nap. "Get outta there, I need to pack..." But just before Kristoff threw the dog out of the suitcase, he paused. A nap sure did sound good right about now. He was exhausted. And there was still a lot of time before she'd get here.

He looked up at the clock above the door. It was 11pm. One last nap with the dog wouldn't hurt. "Maybe one last quick nap, Sven." He carefully pushed aside the clump of clothes and suitcase to the other side of the bed and laid himself down. "Alright lil' guy, up up" Kristoff said, patting his chest. The dog immediately got up from the suitcase and went to his favorite napping place on Kristoff's chest. "Don't worry, no more nightmares this time buddy, cuz I'm living mine out right now."

* * *

"YAP!"

Kristoff bolted up from his nap, sending Sven sailing once again. He looked down at the dog, who was too alert and focused on the sound coming from outside to be upset at Kristoff. Sven gave another very loud, single yap, then jumped off the bed and scampered his way out into the living room. Kristoff looked up at the clock. 3am.

Then, Kristoff heard steps. Was it father?

"Kristoff?"

_ANNA_?!

A surge of adrenaline shot through his body. Kristoff immediately leaped up from the bed and threw himself at the bedroom door, shutting and locking it. He crouched there, frozen on the floor as he heard the front door open. Heart pounding, he stayed silent as he heard Anna's footsteps getting closer. He held his breath when they stopped right in front of the locked door.

"Kristoff, open the door."

A cold chill ran up his spine. Four words, just four words out of her mouth and Kristoff knew she was not Kristen anymore. The recognition was in her voice, heaviness from realizing what had happened to her. Her voice was both cold and heated; quiet, but livid. By those four words he could tell just how shattered and disturbed she was. He gulped, and held his breath.

_What is she doing here? She's not supposed to be here for two days!?_

"KRISTOFF. Open the door!" She started pounding on the door, and Kristoff stayed silent, crouched on his knees before the door, trembling, like a mouse scared stiff.

"I know you're in there. I see your motorcycle out front. OPEN THE DOOR! OPEN IT! NOW!"

"What are you doing here?!" Kristoff yelled back, trying to mask his shaking voice. "Why'd you come back? Go back where you're supposed to be, go back to Elsa!" Kristoff brought his sweaty palms to his head and gripped his hair. He was living out his nightmare.

He was met with a cold, searing silence.

Still gripping his head, Kristoff grimly spoke. "You know everything. Y-you know what kind of person I am. What I did to you...you know e-everything now..." He couldn't hide his trembling voice. He started to tear up. He wanted this nightmare to end.

Kristoff's heart ripped in half when he heard Anna start to cry. "Why, why'd you do it!? W-why'd you do this to me?! How could you let this happen?!" He heard her slump to the floor and saw her shadow underneath the door crack.

"I...I..." Kristoff couldn't speak. He was overwhelmed with grief, shame, guilt, and self-disgust. He buried his face into his hands. "IT'S BECAUSE I LOVE YOU! I love you...b-b-because I'd do anything to be with you. Anything!" A sob escaped from his throat. Kristoff collapsed his whole body to the floor, knees tucked underneath his body and forehead touching the ground, kneeling down in despair. He was sobbing uncontrollably into the ground. "Oh god..."

Anna slammed her fists against the door again. "WHY!? Tell me e-everything, right now! H-how could you let this happen to me?!" He could feel the hurt and sense of betrayal thick in her voice.

"No! I won't...I can't. I can't face you, after what I did. I'm a-a-m-monster. What I did is unforgivable."

Another cold shiver ran up Kristoff's spine when he heard her voice darken as she spoke more firmly now. Her voice pierced straight into his gut when she spoke in a low, trembling tone.

"I wont. I'll never forgive you..."

Kristoff gripped his head tighter. "G-good! D-don't! Don't forgive me. I'm leaving, and I'm never coming back, and you'll n-n-never see me again. So go back! Go back to Elsa..."

"Do you think I wanted to come back? To you?! I snuck out of the hospital to go see her, and they wouldn't let me in! I'm a laid off N.N., do you think they'd let me in!? At three in the morning?! _*sob*_ A-and I can't even call her, because the hospital has my phone..." she slammed her hand against the door in frustration. "I-I even went back home to see my father, but his car wasn't out in front, and I don't even know Sylvia!"

She started railing on the door again, shaking it violently. "KRISTOFF, OPEN THE DOOR!" Sven started barking in the background, frightened at this side of Kristen that he'd never seen before. "I don't know who I am anymore! I have nowhere to go! She doesn't even think it's me! NOBODY WILL BELIEVE ME. Take responsibility and OPEN THE DOOR!" Anna wailed, holding back nothing from her cries of despair and sorrow.

"Go! Please...go..." Kristoff cried softly, as he gripped his hair tighter, crying into the ground.

He heard Anna crying from outside. She stopped pounding against the door now, weak from distress. This was the worst thing that had ever happened to Kristoff, and Anna.

"W-where's my n-necklace, Kristoff?"

Kristoff sat up and gasped for air. He knew he had to do it. He was preparing himself to tell her the ungodly, sinful truth of it all. He heaved in a shaky breath. "M-my mother's henchmen took it. Hans was t-the one that ran into you. Sylvia was behind e-everything. I'm so s-sorry."

He was met with nothing but her quiet sobs. She was comprehending the truth and the people behind her tragedy.

And there they sat, for a good hour on the opposite sides of the door, weeping and crying, realizing and soaking in their miserable realities. Kristoff's dream life had shattered into pieces, while Anna had woken up and realized she had unknowingly been living in a nightmare.

* * *

The brisk chirps of the early morning birds filled the air. Dawn was rising, but still curled up on the floor, Kristoff wanted nothing to do with it. He wanted to hide from the new day and all that it had in store for him. He peered outside the window from the bedroom. It was still dark. He looked up at the clock. 4:43am.

It had been silent outside in the living room for a good hour. He didn't see Anna's shadow under the door anymore, but he wasn't sure if she had left. And if she had left, his crying probably covered up the sound of the door shutting.

_Maybe she's sleeping?_

Then how would he escape the trailer home? If she were right in front of the door, then the door would bump into her, waking her. Kristoff cringed at the thought of facing her. But he needed to take the chance; there was no other way out. He quietly got up from the ground and faced the door. He held his breath, readying himself. He reached up and slowly turned the knob, stifling the unlocking 'click' with his thumb. He opened the door a tad, just enough for his head to poke through.

_Thank goodness._

To his relief, Anna was gone. Sven was on the couch, evidently awoken by his sensitive hearing, and was now staring at Kristoff.

_She went to go get the necklace._

Kristoff nervously gnawed at his lower lip. Anna was going back to her house, with Sylvia there. Would she be okay? Kristoff gritted his teeth. He didn't feel right. He couldn't leave like this. Nothing was going the way he wanted. Elsa and Anna were supposed to be reunited at the hospital. And his sick, twisted family...who knew what lengths his mother and Hans were going to go to now that Anna's memory had returned? Kristoff felt disgusted.

He stared at Sven, deep in thought, searching for answers. Anna would never forgive him for what he'd done, that was for sure. He had to _at least_ do the best he could to make up for all the shit she'd been through, even if it meant the decisions he were about to make were difficult.

After thinking long and hard for a few minutes, Kristoff gave a slight nod, approving his thought-out decisions. He turned around and reached back into his suitcase to retrieve the scarf Anna had knitted him years ago. He wrapped it around his neck for strength. It was to remind him of her goodness, of her kindness, of her love, of everything that she was and did for him. He needed the reminder, because what he was about to do next would be one of the most difficult things he'd ever have to do in his life.

He reached into his back pocket for his cell phone, but when it was empty he was reminded that the hospital had his phone. He walked towards the kitchen and picked up the home phone. He stared down at the cordless phone, pausing for a moment to remind himself again of the plan. He was going to make exactly four phone calls. He took a deep breath, then punched in the first number and heard it ring.

_Okay...phone call number one._

* * *

_Riiiiiing!_

_Ugh fuck what time is it?_

It was still dark outside. Hans squinted his eyes as he sleepily reached over to nightstand and picked up his phone. The blare of the screen was blinding, but he saw it was around 5am. Hans groaned and sat up to get ready to speak. When his eyes finally adjusted to the screen, his body went cold.

_Kristoff?_

Pausing momentarily, Hans wondered what the problem could be. Kristoff never called. Hans rubbed his eyes, letting it ring a few more times, then finally answered the phone.

"Yea?"

"Hans. I need Ruben's number."

_What?_ Hans sighed in frustration. "Kristoff it's fucking five in the morning. Why do you suddenly need his number?" He groaned. "He's on a business trip abroad anyways, and he only takes his business cellphone abroad. I don't have his business line anyways. Call mother."

He heard Kristoff sigh on the other line. _What's the meaning of this?_

"Fine, give me Elsa's personal number then."

Hans's body went rigid. He didn't like where this was headed. Not one bit.

"Why the hell do you need her number?" But he was met with an agonizing pause. "Kristoff! Answer me!"

"I need to set things straight."

Hans abruptly sat up in his bed. He was wide awake now, heart pounding faster by the second. "What the fuck do you mean, set things straight," he gritted through his teeth.

"Hans, it's over. Anna remembers everything. Her memory returned."

_What!?_

Hans sat with his mouth gaped open, staring at the wall in front of him. He was stunned. This was a joke. The words wouldn't stop repeating over and over in his head. He felt his pits start to sweat.

"Tell me you're joking. Tell me, this is one, sick joke you're pulling. Cuz if you are-"

"Hans, we have to take responsibility. It's over now. It's done. We...we have to give back everything. We have to give back what we took from her."

Hans could hear his breathing start to grow heavy. A cold sweat started to form on his brow.

"I'm sorry Hans."

"No...NO! W-we can figure this out...we can...we can still fix this! I-I just need...let me call mother ju-"

"No. Hans, I'm sorry. It's over. Give me Elsa's number, now."

"NO! Are you crazy?! She'll cancel the engagement! She'll find out about everything! She'll-"

"Hans, give me Elsa's number or I'm going to call the cops on you."

Hans stopped. He felt a cold trickle down the side of his rib. "You wouldn't..." Breathing heavily, he waited for a reply.

"I will. Now give me her number. Now."

Hans knew there was a chance Kristoff would. If it meant it was for Anna, he would do it. "You wouldn't...you're my brother...y-you have no idea what you're doing, do you realize what you're even doing? You fucking fool. You're going to ruin everything!"

He was met with silence.

"I'm calling mother, and I'm telling her. And I'll let her do whatever she wants to you or Anna. I swear...she'll do something to fix this. When I get my hands on you..." He sat fuming, shaking, sweating on his bed, waiting for Kristoff to speak.

"No. I'm putting an end to your and mother's shit, and I'm making sure of it. No more."

Hans felt out of control, like the world was slipping between his fingers. He was terrified. "NO!" Hans yelled and threw his phone against the wall, shattering it. He stared at the wall, trembling in fear.

_What am I going to do? Anna's memory's back. He's going to tell Elsa everything...he can't. This is the worst possible...FUCK._

Horrified, Hans quickly got up to go to Sylvia and Ruben's house. Mother would know what to do.

* * *

Kristoff sighed and hung his head.

_Shit..._

He didn't get either of their numbers. How was he going to tell Elsa? Ruben was obviously out of the picture. Nobody besides himself, Hans, Anna, and soon Sylvia knew the truth right now. By the time she got the locket and headed over to the Royal Chateau, who knew what Sylvia's henchmen might do. She needed Elsa's protection, as soon as possible.

He looked up at Sven, searching again for a solution. Kristoff sighed. It was up to him now. He couldn't leave without setting this straight. But how? He didn't have Elsa's number, and if Anna wasn't able to get Elsa in the Royal Chateau, how the hell was he going to get in?

He racked his brain for a solution, but nothing came to him.

_Think! Think..._

Kristoff paced back and forth in front of the couch with Sven watching him. Anna had gotten into the chateau before because she was a registered employee. An N.N...with government identification.

_Her badge!_

Kristoff ran into the living room and found Anna's N.N. badge resting on her makeup table. She hadn't worn her outfit since her last, tragic day at the chateau. He picked it up and examined it. It had her photo I.D. on it, but it was small. If he could just...maybe if he could pretend to be an N.N. somehow, and make his way into the chateau.

_Her bodyguards._

Kristoff scowled. Anna had told him about the two, big, bodyguards that always stood watch at her doors. He'd have to find a way. This was his only way. Kristoff quickly opened his luggage and searched through his clothing. He pulled out a pair of light khakis and put them aside. That would have to do. He dug deeper and pulled out a blue dress shirt. It was a bit darker than Anna's official dress shirt, but it's the best he could do.

He quickly started to change. After he pulled on the pants and threw on the top, he hung the I.D. on his breast pocket and looked into the narrow mirror. It looked sufficient enough, but the outfit was missing something.

_White shoes! Shoot._

Kristoff didn't have any. Fine, he would have to do without them.

He rushed back out into the kitchen to finish his last two calls. After these calls, he would ride his bike into the city to the Royal Chateau. He picked up the phone and quickly dialed a familiar number and heard the it ring. He was relieved when the other line picked up.

"Yea it's Fred."

"Father, I need you to come home. I'm going into Arendelle right now, and I won't be back until around two hours later. After that, I'm...I'm leaving for a long time. I want to say goodbye to you. But, but also...I might need some of your medical help. S-something might happen to me while I'm in the city, and I want you to be here when I get back so, so afterwards I won't lose...too much blood."

Kristoff rubbed his precious index finger with his thumb.

* * *

Anna looked around the metrotram she was sitting in. There were a few men and women in their business suits, bleary eyed and still half-asleep. She'd caught the first 5:30am tram leaving her area going into Arendelle. She looked back out through the window and saw it was still dark outside.

Rubbing her temples, Anna closed her eyes, still in utter disbelief. Her head was pounding, but it was nothing compared to the aching in her heart. It was the most surreal feeling, to be out of touch with herself, yet also feeling like she was home again. It was an eerie sensation, to have memories snap into place, and incessant process of one startling realization after the other. She remembered everything, but she still had to process all the information, to soak it in and settle with it.

She looked over at a nearby passenger, who was wearing a white scarf.

_BAM_. Her memory swirled back to her time with Kristoff.

She had never felt _so _violated. She shuddered and hugged herself. How could he do such a thing? How could he not tell her, after this whole time? How could he lie like that? And Sylvia, and Hans? She knew she could never trust them, but this? It was _Hans_ that had hit her with the car?! She remembered the car headed straight for her that night. And they didn't tell anybody, not even the cops!? What about father? What about Elsa?

Anna sighed out heavily and continued rubbing her temples. It was too much. The uncomfortable, churning feeling in her stomach wouldn't go away. She felt ashamed somehow. Ashamed that she couldn't snap out of the nightmare she had been living in. She felt utterly betrayed. Used. Deceived. Her life had been taken away from her. Elsa had been taken away from her.

How could they have kept her away from Elsa, for five whole years? Anna's heart ached as she thought of the pain Elsa probably went through. First, thinking that she was dead. Going through the mourning process _with _Elsa's previous problems of anxiety. She was heartbroken for Elsa. If it were the other way around, Anna knew she would've gone mad if Elsa had passed away. And the wicked, twisted nature of Anna being right next to her as an N.N., but Elsa being told that she was a different person. Anna felt her eyes water and her lips quiver. Poor, poor Elsa. What a sick torment that must have been, to have her best friend return to her after five years, and yet deny any and everything.

Anna brought her knees up against her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. She buried her face in between her knees, hiding her eyes that were welling with tears. She felt disgusted, heartbroken, and angry. How could people be so malicious?

"Good morning folks. It's currently 5:38 in the morning and we're headed into the city. The last stop will be Arendelle station, which is scheduled for about 6:30am. There's coffee and breakfast served in the cafe which is in the very last tram. A conductor will be coming around shortly to collect your tickets. Thanks for choosing Metrotram."

Anna sat up and wiped away her tears. It would be alright soon. She would retrieve the necklace and somehow get to Elsa. She would convince and remind her of their past, and that she was really Anna. She'd return to Elsa. Anna would return. And everything would be alright.

* * *

Kristoff gnawed his lower lip as he looked down at the cordless phone. He'd just gotten off the phone with Frederick. Thankfully his father would be here when he would arrive back from Arendelle, so that was reassuring at least. But the next call, which was the last call he would be making, would be the most difficult, and the most important.

His finger hovered over the keypad. He wondered if he was making the right decision. He knew there wouldn't be much evidence against Sylvia. She always had Hans and her henchmen do the dirty work. But there'd be enough evidence for Hans in the car that he hit Anna with. There might've been video recordings in the private airport tunnel too. Without Hans, Sylvia would have no one else to rely on except for her henchmen. Kristoff didn't know if this would be a good or bad thing. He knew Hans was probably heading to his mother's house right now. They'd find him there.

_Am I making the right choice? _He felt the woolly scarf against his chin. Yes. He was making the right choice. No more. No more of this torment and tyranny against Anna, poor innocent Anna.

He took another deep breath, and firmly, one after the other, pressed his thumb into exactly three numbers. He brought the phone up to his ear, and waited.

"911 what's your emergency?"

"I'd like to report and disclose the details of an accident that occurred five years ago."

* * *

"Arendelle station, last stop."

Anna's heart skipped as she got up and quickly made her way down the aisle. She'd be at her own house again soon. Even if her father weren't home, she'd get inside and get her necklace. It was _her _rightful house in the first place.

She stepped off the steps of the metrotram and hurriedly walked towards the front of the station. The place was still fairly empty, but there were a lot more people at this station than the one she'd just left. She looked up at the huge clock in the middle of the floor. 6:31am.

As she stepped outside, she noticed that the sky was turning lighter. She made her way to the taxi line, and hopped into the first one.

"Where to miss?"

Her body was heavy from emotional turmoil and her head was pounding, but she couldn't help but smile at the thought. "Home. I'm on my way back home."


	32. Mission Impossible

The cravings were clawing at her insides. She really, really, really needed a cigarette. Elsa huffed out in frustrated as she turned her head towards the windows. It was already dawn, and she hadn't slept a wink.

"What time is it?" she called out.

"6:34am Miss Elsa," replied the N.N. that was on duty.

"When is my meeting?"

"8am Miss Elsa. I suggest you start getting ready. May I clean your area now?"

"No."

She looked at the area around her sofa. Soda cans, junk food wrappers, cups and glasses lay scattered about. She had firmly ordered the N.N. to leave everything where it was. She wanted to sit with it, to feel every bit of the filth.

_I did it. I made her feel that way._

She sat up and looked at the video game controller next to her. She violently shoved it off the couch. Elsa sighed and slouched backwards into the sofa. Both emotionally and physically, she felt exhausted. She rubbed her eyes with the bottoms of her palms, trying to ease away some tiredness, but it was no use. She'd stayed up all night. She couldn't get Kristen's voice out of her head. Elsa felt sick from weariness and guilt.

And now to top it off, she had to go to a meeting soon.

_Perfect._

She looked at the windows again. "Who's coming in next?"

The N.N. cleared his voice. "I believe it's Nurse Heidi Nohr. Her shift is at 7am."

Elsa felt some hope. Maybe she could contact Heidi and ask her to bring some cigarettes. She was one of the more lenient ones.

"Do you have her number?"

The nurse nodded. "Would you like it?"

"Yea."

He came over and gave Heidi's number to Elsa. She punched the 'call' button on her phone and waited.

"Hello?"

"Nurse Nohr, it's Elsa."

"Miss Elsa?! H-how did you-"

"Can you pick up a pack of Stems, the mint crush kind for me on the way over? I promise I won't tell Nurse Olden."

"Uhmm...yea sure Miss Elsa."

"Thanks. I owe you one."

She hung up and slouched back into the couch. She'd have some sweet, temporary relief soon. Might as well start getting ready for the stupid meeting meanwhile.

Elsa sighed and peeled herself off the couch and headed to the closet to put on her uniform.

* * *

'Would you like a carwash?'

_Ugh no just give me my gas._

Irritated, Kristoff repeatedly pushed the 'No' button. He was almost at the Royal Chateau, but he had run out of gas. As he pulled out the pump and inserted it into his motorcycle, he noticed someone walking up to the gas station convenience store. Her outfit looked familiar.

_She's wearing an N.N. uniform!_

Without giving it a second thought, he left his pump and hurriedly walked after her. He saw her at the counter as he entered the convenient store.

"Um...the mint crush...yea that one I think."

The cashier placed the pack onto the counter and started ringing her up. Kristoff hesitated for a moment, but then tapped her on the shoulder. When she turned around and looked at him, Kristoff took a step back, startled. He didn't actually plan on what he was going to say.

"Uhh...uhmmm..."

She peered down at Anna's I.D. badge that was hanging over his left breast pocket, but before she could take a good look at it, he quickly pulled it off and shoved it into his pocket.

"Uh...hi umm...you're an N.N. right? Uhm...yea don't look at my I.D. it's a bad picture, but I'm the a new N.N.." He cleared his throat. "Yea, today's my first day so I was wondering if you could help me out, show me around a bit?"

She cocked an eyebrow at him, then ran her eyes down his outfit. "Uhm...those don't look like the uniforms...at all."

_Shit._

"Umm...yea. They told me I'm getting fitted today, so I just wore what I thought might look like the uniforms. I wasn't sure...I'm kind of a clueless guy."

"$4.69," the cashier said. Heidi turned around and handed the cashier her card. She then looked back at Kristoff with a more open expression, but still looked a bit hesitant.

"Uhmm... I guess I can show you where we park and stuff. There was no orientation for you?"

"Can you sign this please?" The cashier pushed the receipt and a pen towards her, which she signed and handed back. She grabbed the pack of cigarettes and started heading out the door. Kristoff followed.

"No, there was no orientation. I think it was because the other N.N., her name was Kristen right? She kind of left and never showed up, so I think they really needed someone to fill in for her as soon as possible."

Heidi's face lit up at the sound of Kristen's name. "Kristen! Oh my god I hope she's doing alright. Yea, so they told you about her. I haven't been able to contact her since...I really don't know what happened to her. I really miss her."

He was relieved that he now had Heidi's trust. She turned to him before she opened her car door. "So, what's your name?"

"Kr...uh..ken..."

Heidi gave him a strange look. "What?"

"Er...Kraken..." _Ugh you idiot._

"Kraken?! Your name is Kraken?" He saw her hide a smile. "Not gunna lie that's a really unfortunate name. But, nice to meet you...Kraken. Just follow my car into the Chateau parking lot. I'll show you where the employee lounge is. We can grab some coffee and breakfast in there before my shift, if I have time."

* * *

"Nice ride," Heidi said as Kristoff caught up to her in the employee parking lot. They were heading towards a thick, metal door with a keypad.

"Thanks," Kristoff muttered. He was nervous about sneaking into the Royal Chateau. Would he be able to pull this off?

When they approached the keypad Heidi took her badge and swiped it through, lighting up the system. She punched in five digits, and Kristoff heard a click from the door. She opened the door and held it out for Kristoff.

"Thanks," he said again as he walked through.

"So where'd they say they were going to meet you for your fitting?" Heidi asked as they both walked into the corridor.

"Uhm...where you said we were going...the employee lounge?"

"Oh alright. This a'way." They turned the corner and she led him down a vast hallway. He couldn't help but marvel for a moment at the grandiosity of the place. He liked the sound of their shoes meeting the smooth, firm granite beneath them.

"Here we are." Heidi led him into a room with a refrigerator, tables, a kitchen area and a television and couch.

_Dang._

"Wow, nice." Kristoff said.

"Yea, and employees get free meals. That's the best part, I think." She pointed to a table with a row of trays full of fruit, breads and muffins, and three metal buffet trays heated up by a small fire underneath them. Kristoff heard his stomach grumble.

_No time._

"We get first pick of the day! Having the morning shift sucks, but at least you get as much bacon as you want." She looked up at the clock by the fridge. "Shoot, I don't have much time though." She looked over at Kristoff. "So, I'm gunna go do my shift now. I guess I'll see you around yea?"

"Yea, thanks for showing me where the lounge is. I'll see you around."

Heidi nodded and waved, grabbing a small mini muffin on the way out. He saw her stuff the pack of cigarettes into her back pocket.

After waiting a moment, Kristoff peered out from the lounge doorway. He saw Heidi going the opposite way they came in, traveling further down the corridor. There was still pain from his leg, but he was used to the pain now and was able to walk with more ease, although he still had a slight hobble. He tiptoed after her, keeping a safe distance, making sure not to lose her. She opened a set of doors and went through them. Kristoff quickly ran as fast as he could to hold the door before it closed, then slipped through. He saw her walk down a long, flourished and decorated hallway. He couldn't help himself but take it all in.

_Wow. Must be getting close...SHIT!_

Just then, as his gaze fell to the far end of the hallway, he saw Heidi walking towards two, large figures guarding a set of large doors. Before they saw him, he quickly hid behind a velvet curtain that was hanging to his right. He froze, praying the curtain would stop swaying. When it finally did, he peered through the crack between the wall and the curtain.

From a distance, he saw Heidi waiting in front of the doors, bringing the mini muffin up to her mouth. When she brought down her hand, the whole thing was gone. He heard a faint beeping, and the bodyguard said something but he couldn't quite catch it.

Then, the doors opened, and what he assumed was another N.N. came through. Heidi slipped through the doors and they closed them behind her with a soft thud. Kristoff pulled his head away and held his breath as the other N.N. came towards the doors beside him, then disappeared through them.

After the doors shut, he started to breath again. He peered at the bodyguards again. How was he going to get through the doors?

Breathing quietly, he slowly turned his head and pulled aside the curtain on his other side. Through the crack, he saw a mantle with a small vase being held up on it. It was about an arm length's reach away.

Careful not to move the curtain enveloping him, he carefully reached over his right arm from out of the curtain. With as little movement as possible, he leaned his body toward the vase, stretching his arm as far as it could go. But he barely skimmed the edge of it. He had to get closer.

Heart pounding, he inched his body closer, making the curtain move with him. He froze, letting the curtain rest in place over him. When he didn't hear anything from the hallway, he gathered up more courage and strained his arm as far as he could and gripped the top rim of the vase. He got a good grip and lifted it slightly, weighing it. Confident he could hold it up with his arm, he slowly pulled the ceramic vase towards him. He felt the curtain move slightly when he brought the vase between the curtain and wall. He let the curtain steady again, hugging the vase close to his chest. He remained still, listening for any signs of detection. He carefully turned his head towards the left again to peek at the bodyguards one more time. He saw one of them yawn.

Kristoff hugged the vase tightly. Was he really going to do this? He was scared. He was breaking and entering into the government building. How much trouble would he get into? He looked down at the vase. He then felt the scarf around his neck tickle his chin. He was reminded.

_Okay, just do it. It's now or never._

Kristoff took a deep breath and braced himself.

_Now!_

He quickly turned his body and held aside the curtain to his right. With all the force his arm could muster, he swung the vase behind his head and threw it forward, chucking it as far as he could in the direction away from the doors. As quickly as he did this, he retreated back underneath the curtain before the vase hit the floor. Safe behind the curtain, he heard the vase shatter loudly against the marble floor.

He held is breath and stayed as still as he could, hoping the bodyguards didn't see the curtain move. He heard the bodyguards exclaim something and heard their running footsteps coming toward him. He backed up against the wall as they ran past him.

"What the hell? Where's this from?"

He felt sweat running down the side of his face. Body trembling with adrenaline, Kristoff silently slipped from under the curtain and hobbled as quietly as he could towards the wooden doors.

_Just get to the doors before they turn around. Before they turn around...just before they-_

"HEY! STOP RIGHT THERE!"

Kristoff broke into a hobbled sprint. The pain from his leg shot up and through his body, making him clench his teeth in pain. He cursed at his leg. He didn't know what he was doing. Even if he did make it to the doors, would Elsa even care to see him? Would Elsa remember him?

"ELSA!" Kristoff yelled as he heard the bodyguard coming up behind him. Suddenly, he felt a huge force explode into him from behind, and he painfully crashed into the marble.

"ELSA! I need to talk to you!" Kristoff yelled from the floor. He was still a few feet away. He prayed the sound was getting through those thick doors. Kristoff yelped in pain when he felt a large knee dig into his spine.

"Central, we have an intruder in front of Ice Queen's corridor. Repeat, intruder in IQ's corridor."

"It's Kristoff! Anna's stepbrother! It's about Anna! I need to tell you the truth!" Kristoff clawed at the floor as if to crawl closer to the doors, knowing it was no use.

Kristoff yelped again, as he felt the knee press deeper into his spine. "Shaddap you."

Kristoff's eyes remained glued to the wooden doors.

_Please open, please open..._

He felt himself being pulled up.

_No!_

* * *

"Thanks Nurse Nohr."

Elsa took the pack of cigarettes from the N.N. and gave her an appreciative nod.

"No problem. You look great in your uniform, Miss Elsa."

Elsa gave her a small smile, and turned around to go out to the balcony. She'd requested hair and makeup today because she knew she looked like hell. She always did after sleepless nights. She usually put on her uniform first before they came.

_A quick smoke break._

Opening the French doors to her balcony, she let the cold morning air blow in and settle around her. She stepped outside as she smacked the bottom of the pack against her palm. The sound and feeling was comforting and reassuring to her.

_Just like old times._

She ripped the plastic from around the pack and pulled opened the top. She pulled out a slender white stick and put it between her lips. But she was missing something.

_The lighter._

She turned around to fetch one from her makeup desk drawer. As she was walking, she suddenly heard a faint crash from outside.

_It's probably nothing._

She pulled out the drawer and rummaged around for a mini lighter she'd hidden in there earlier in the year.

_Where is that thi-_

Her ears perked up when she heard someone yelling from outside. She stood up and looked curiously towards the wooden doors. Elsa then looked at Nurse Nohr, who gave her an unknowing shrug.

_What is he saying? _She stood still to listen intently to the distant voice beyond the doors. Her heart jumped when she heard a familiar name being yelled.

_Anna? Did he say Anna?_

It was probably her imagination. But her feet were already making their way towards the door. She dropped the pack of cigarettes on the floor. The yelling grew louder.

"_Elsa_!"

She broke into a run as she made her way across the large chamber. She leaped over her couch, and when she reached the doors she gripped the large door handle and pulled with all her might. She looked into the hallway to see someone being dragged away by the two bodyguards.

"No please! You don't understand. I _need _to speak with her...just FOR A SECOND! IT'S ABOUT ANNA! IT'S ANNA!"

Elsa gasped. "WAIT! GUARDS, STOP!"


	33. Where Are You?

Now observing it under the early morning sun, Anna noticed that her front yard garden didn't look as flowery and green as she remembered it being. She studied the familiar brick pathway under her as she made her way up to the front door, feeling a bit glum that they appeared more aged and worn. But warm memories from her youth were flooding into her at the same time, and she felt the anticipation increasing with each step. The familiar smell of freshly cut grass mixed with the red bricks and fertilized plants beckoned and welcomed her home once again. It was all comforting to her, but at the same time it wasn't enough to ease away the nervous churning in her gut. She had no idea what would be in store for her beyond the front door. It was her home, but everybody inside it was a stranger to her. Anna deeply breathed in the scents of her home and childhood to remind herself of what was rightfully hers; she was going to need the strength for when and whom she was going to confront soon.

Now at the door, Anna crouched down and slid aside the welcome mat. She saw the familiar loose brick, and lodged it upwards out of its position, revealing a single, golden key lying underneath. She picked it up and returned the brick back into its place. Clutching the key in her hand, Anna pressed her lips together, bracing herself, then unlocked the front door.

As she took the first few steps in and let her eyes adjust to the dimness of the living room, her body internally contorted when she saw two people sitting on the living room couch. Hans and Sylvia, with very surprised looks, were looking up at her. She paused for a second to comprehend the situation, then took a deep breath and closed the door firmly behind her. Making sure to maintain a stoic expression, she puffed out her chest and made her way into the living room.

"Sylvia, Hans, it's been a while."

They didn't reply. She slowly walked towards the stairs, passing them, but never looking away from their shocked faces, mouths gaping. Her heart was racing, but she stood tall.

"You have something that belongs to me."

They sat in silence as they watched her reach the stairs, her aura claiming back the house as if she had never left it in the first place. "And I don't just mean my necklace." It was difficult keeping her voice composed, with the fury that was slowly liquefying, bubbling and churning within her.

Hans shot up from the sofa. "We don't know what you're talking about," he said, his hands balled up, breathing heavily.

Anna stopped and shot him a penetrating glare, keeping her eyes fixed on his, making sure he felt every bit of her resentment and loathing. She hated him. She absolutely hated him. "I _know_ what you did. I know what _both _of you did. I know everything." She stood now, back facing the stairs, fixing her strong gaze on the both of them. "You took everything away from me. Did you think you were going to get away with it?"

She waited for an answer, knowing they didn't have one. The fear on their faces was not enough for her; she wanted justice, she wanted them to pay. Then, Sylvia stood up and sneered, "You have no proof of anything. Now get the hell out of here before I do something about it."

Anna felt her hands curl into tight fists. How _dare_ she.

"No! I'm not the same girl anymore, the nice, kind, naive Anna. You're going to have to go through hell to get rid of me. I'm taking back what's mine!" And with that, Anna turned around and made her way up the stairs. She stomped into Sylvia's room and at the makeup desk, started rummaging through her jewelry box. Her heart stopped when she saw a familiar, silver heart sitting in the very back corner of the box. She stared at it, unable to bring herself to move. She was so close. It had been with her for all of these years, and yet she never knew its significance until now. It was the same necklace, but it looked much different to her now. She almost felt Elsa's presence. They would be reunited. She felt it happening. Soon.

She reached out and gently picked up the necklace, letting the other jewelry that had been entangled with it fall and clatter onto the table. Tenderly placing the heart in the palm of her hand, she traced the outline of the silver with her finger.

_Elsa._

She traced it a few more times to fully feel and absorb it into her skin, then clutched it tight within her hand and brought it to her chest. She could almost feel Elsa's presence, her embrace, her smell, her laugh, the twinkling of her gorgeous, blue eyes. She imagined how when they would meet, her necklace would snap perfectly into Elsa's locket. She closed her eyes and pictured Elsa's loving smile, the goofy but adoring one that only appeared on her face for her. Anna forced open her eyes. She needed to be beside Elsa, now. She needed to get to the Royal Chateau.

Still clutching the necklace in her hand, she made her way back downstairs, ignoring the two criminals as they watched her. She started making her way towards the front door, but to her surprise she felt a strong grip on her arm. She angrily turned around to find Hans gripping her arm tightly.

"Let me go!" she yelled, trying to twist her arm away.

"Stop! Just...stop! Let's just talk-."

"NO!" Anna yelled as she pulled harder, but she couldn't get free. Hans used his other hand to grip her shoulder.

"LET GO OF ME," she yelled, and with all her might, she kicked her leg upwards, hitting Hans right in the sensitive area. He cried out in pain, letting her go, collapsing to the ground as he gripped his crotch with both hands.

Just then, all three of them jumped at three loud bangs coming from the front door. "Open up! This is the Arendelle Police, we have a search warrant."

None of them moved.

"Open up now!" The handle turned and the front door opened, letting into the living a team of police and investigators led by a head investigator.

"Hans Bjorman, you are under arrest for attempted murder and manslaughter. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney..."

As he stated the rest of the rights, he aggressively flipped Hans onto his stomach and pulled his arms together behind his back, throwing handcuffs over his wrists. As he violently pulled Hans to his feet, he directed the team of investigators and police. "Find the car. Peel the leather off the back seat and check under it for traces of blood. Check the front grill too, just to be thorough. It should be enough with the recording from the tunnel."

Hans's eyes were wide in shock and disbelief. He started to cry out to Sylvia as the head investigator pushed him towards the door. "M-m-mother! Do something! Please! Mother! HELP ME!" He started to cry.

Anna silently watched him being dragged out the front door. She turned to see Sylvia, motionless, shocked, eyes glistening, unable to comprehend the situation. Anna stared at her, and couldn't help but feel not even an ounce of compassion for her. How she wished she could see Sylvia squirm in the grasp of the police's arms too. Without saying anything, Anna made her way to the front door. She stopped for a moment, standing still with her back towards Sylvia, head turned slightly, as if to say something, but she changed her mind, and headed out the door.

* * *

Even in the dim light inside the limo, the heart locket in Elsa's hand was shining, as if it too were glistening excitedly with hope. She wrapped her fingers around it and clutched it tightly. Maybe soon, it would be joined together with its other half once again.

She looked through the rear window behind her and saw the black SUV following as planned. She was sure she didn't need that many bodyguards, but Kristoff had warned her of Sylvia's "henchmen."

She looked back down at the necklace. She couldn't help it. She started to smile, then Elsa was surprised to find herself laughing in delight. She quickly caught herself, but the wide grin wouldn't disappear off her face, no matter how hard she tried. It was too good to be true!

No, it was too good to be true.

The smile quickly faded as she checked herself. She wouldn't let herself get her hopes up too high. Kristoff's words were still floating around in her head, as if the whole meeting were a mere daydream she had just a couple minutes ago. Had it really happened? Was she getting unhinged again? When he first spoke, she thought he'd gone as crazy as she did because of Anna's death. But then, it all started to make sense. It clicked. Everything suddenly just made sense. _Everything_. It had been Anna the whole time. Elsa lips quivered as she tried to hold back another wide grin, but failed as she burst into another small laugh, this time letting her eyes well up with tears of joy. It was Anna. Her Anna, the whole time. She was alive! Overwhelmed, she wiped a tear from her cheek, but then bit her lip.

Was this a joke? Had Anna's stepbrother gone mad? Was he fooling with her? The inner turmoil was excruciating, and the small space between the floor and the ceiling of the limo seemed to be caving in on Elsa. "How many more minutes 'til Anna's house?" she spoke into the intercom.

"We're almost there Miss Elsa."

"Please hurry."

* * *

A police car and van was pulling away from in front of the house as Elsa's limo pulled in. She wondered for a moment, but let the thought pass, for her main objective was to find Anna, if everything that Kristoff had told her was the truth. She was at the edge of her seat, doing her best to control her hammering heart. She tried to maintain a constant, controlled breathing, but the trembling of her body made it almost impossible.

When the limo came to a stop, she immediately opened the door and broke into a run for the front door, the medallions on her uniform brightly clinking together. Without knocking, she burst through the doors.

"Anna?!" She yelled out, the hope in her heart was bursting forth, and she couldn't contain it. She was almost ashamed of it.

She stopped when she recognized Sylvia on the couch, and was immediately overcome with detestation for this truly evil creature. When a person hurts someone you love, the hate is truly a vehement, churning hatred. It's a much more powerful kind of hatred than if that person hurt you. And Elsa was feeling every bit of that loathing, fueled by a fire that burned only for Anna. Kristoff had told Elsa everything, and Elsa knew everything now. She quietly walked up to Sylvia, who stood up, looking nervous.

"M-miss Elsa, daughter-in-law...ho-"

"Don't."

Sylvia shut up as Elsa glared coldly into her small, egotistical eyes. She spoke to her in a small, clear voice, almost in a whisper.

"Where's Anna."

Sylvia was wringing her hands nervously. "I-I...she wasn't here..I don't-"

"Where is she!?"

"She left! She's gone I swear it!"

A pause, Elsa not believing any of the poisonous lies that were dripping out from her mouth. "I know what you did to Anna. I know what Hans did." She realized then why the police had been there earlier. She took a deep breath, and spoke bitterly again to the small, shaking woman in front of her.

"So the police took Hans, and I assume they didn't have the evidence to take you in too." Elsa paused to make sure Sylvia was listening. "Let me make this clear. I'm going to find your henchmen. I'm going to interrogate them. They're going to tell me everything, and you're going to pay for what you've done to Anna."

"Y-you don't have _any _evidence that I c-conspired-"

"_Don't_ forget who I am," Elsa sharply cut her off, "I will run this town someday. And _I_, am above the law."

Sylvia slowly sat back down, staring at Elsa's uniform blankly.

"So it would be wise for you to leave Arendelle. Forever. Or else my people will come and find you."

Sylvia looked up to Elsa with wide eyes full of fear. "W-what? You can't do th-"

"Get out. Get out of Anna's house. Now. Leave my city and never come back."

Sylvia sat frozen to her seat. Her eyes were frantically searching Elsa face, searching for any signs of mercy. Elsa clenched her teeth and glared back, showing none.

"W-what about my things?"

"You can come back later and pack. Just get out of my sight. Get out of Anna's house _right_ now."

Elsa stared her down as Sylvia averted her gaze and looked down at the floor, lost for words. For the longest time Sylvia sat, staring at the ground, probably trying to think of a solution. Elsa let her sit and soak in the fact that she had only one option: to heed Elsa's advice and leave Arendelle forever.

She cowered as she slowly got up from the sofa, glancing up only once very quickly to discern for a glimpse of compassion from the girl in uniform. Finding absolutely none, she backed away first, then turned and scurried to the garage door, opening it and disappearing into the garage. Elsa stood and glared at the shutting door, hearing the rumble of the garage door opening, the car engine starting, followed by the sound of her backing out and the garage door closing again.

Even after Sylvia had gone, Elsa stood in the same spot she'd been in, fuming. She'd never been overcome and enraged like that ever before in her life. But her anger was justified; what they did to Anna was absolutely deplorable and unforgivable. And it was personal; they'd taken away the love of her life.

She stood for a few more moments, breathing, calming, and recollecting herself. She unclenched her fists and jaw, lowered her shoulders, and rolled her neck around, releasing a few cracks of built-up tension. She closed her eyes and brought her focus back on why she was here in the first place.

_Anna._

She heard footsteps behind her and turned quickly around, but it was just one of her bodyguards. "Miss Elsa, what would you like for us to do?"

"I want you to find the men that were working for Sylvia. I want you to make sure they don't help Sylvia in anyway anymore in the future. Do you understand?" Elsa said firmly.

"Yes ma'm. Would you be alright alone here then?"

"Yes, take all the men with you. I'll be waiting here, for Anna."

"Excellent. We'll report back to you as soon as we can," he said, and strutted off with purpose to inform the other bodyguards.

When she was alone, Elsa looked to the stairs. Was Anna really not here? Kristoff had told her she'd be here.

"Anna?" Elsa called towards the stairs, knowing that it'd be a futile attempt. Anna would've come downstairs by down if she were here.

Still gripping the locket in her hand, she decided to go up to her room.

As she slowly climbed the stairs, Elsa started to feel uneasy. This felt too good to be true, as if she were falling for a lie. Having Anna back, it was _much_ too good to be true. Her stomach started to churn. It was the restlessness of one about to meet a close friend after five years of separation, mixed with the heavy, underlying doubt of actually thinking about being reunited with a loved one that had passed away. She felt crazy.

She walked through the familiar hallway, and found Anna's door closed. For a moment, she stood in front of it, hesitant, doubtful, and very anxious. She breathed in, as if she were letting a powerful, yet frightening sense of hope slowly open the raw, sore spot in her heart. She was scared.

Elsa reached up and gripped the door handle, letting her hand rest there. She felt paralyzed, and didn't want to go any further. But an equally commanding, soaring sense of hope was combating the fear. She felt the raw spot in her heart opening fully now, exposed, vulnerable. She wanted this more than she knew.

Holding her breath, she turned the handle

She held in a whimper as she stepped into Anna's room, taking in everything all at once. All of it mercilessly flooded back into her, the scent of her room making the memories all the more painfully vivid. The many nights they spent laid out on the floor with their books and notebooks strewn about, studying for finals. The times when they would fight over the more exotic chocolates in the chocolate packages that Ruben brought home for them from his business trips. When Anna would drag her out from the Chateau when she was having a hard time with her anxiety, and played with her hair on Anna's bed, calming her and reassuring her that everything was going to be okay, while they sipped on Earl Grey tea in little cups with saucers. That time five years ago, when they cuddled together for the first time; it was one of the best moments of her life, cozied up safe behind Anna, smelling her hair and nestling into her close. Everything was pouring into her soul, everything that her mind had shoved into a deep, dark corner, never letting Elsa remember any of it.

_Have courage. She'll be here. He said Anna will be here._

Pressing her lips tightly together, she held back her tears, and slowly brought herself deeper into the room, letting more of Anna in. She inhaled in her familiar, sweet scent. Closing her eyes, she tilted her head back and let herself drown in all that her mind had worked so hard to hide away for five years. Scenes and memories ceaselessly flashed by one after another.

_White piano._

She opened her eyes and looked over at the familiar white, baby grand piano sitting in the corner. Immediately drawn to it, she walked over and sat herself down in her usual spot, slightly to the right of the bench and lifted the dusty key cover. She gently grazed her finger along the keys, letting herself unwind.

Elsa pressed down the middle C, letting it ring and linger.

_Anna, where are you?_

Suddenly, Elsa was aching. She was aching, craving, every bit of her screaming out for Anna.

_Where are you?!_

She pounded a chord into the piano, letting it ring loudly. The sound and harmony shook through her body, and called forth a desire that had died the day Anna did. She couldn't hold it back any longer, and Elsa cautiously pressed the first notes of the melody that was Anna's song. She let the last note ring, waiting, wanting. She repeated the phrase, pressing one key at a time. Each note was calling.

Elsa dove in. She continued the melody, pouring every bit of herself into the song. She let herself not only play the piece, but feel it, every bit of it. She was calling out for her.

_Where are you?_

She knew her mind wasn't going to like dealing with such powerful emotion and energy, but she kept playing anyways. The passion began to brim over; she didn't know if she could play until the end. The song was bringing Anna back and filling her to the core with Anna's essence. She felt her body getting weak from opening herself up like this, but at the same time she'd never felt more alive, so full of energy, passion, and hope. She let her eyes water as she played on, adeptly pressing the keys and rhythms that her fingers would never dare to forget.

_Where are you?_

She leaned into the keys, pouring everything she had into the song.

_Where are you?_

She let a tear drop onto the keys as the melody slowed, reaching a soft, delicate culminating phrase. Her shoulders dropped, and she hung her head as she gently pressed the last, delicate set of notes into the instrument before her. She let the notes ring and resonate, not wanting the song to end.

_Where are you?_

She sharply exhaled a small breath, and finally submitted, letting her fingers slide off the keys. A cold, still silence hung over her.

_Where are you..._

Elsa felt weak and defeated as she sat there with her eyes closed, slouched over on the piano bench.

An electric shock rang through her body as she heard a whimper from behind her. Elsa whipped her body around towards the sound.

And there she saw, Anna, standing teary-eyed at the doorway, with a heart necklace dangling from her hand.


	34. It's Me

**a/n:** just a side note: the last few chapters are short. at this point, the story is almost over :[

* * *

Kristoff threw open the thick metal door, squinting when the morning sun struck his face. As he hobbled towards his motorcycle, he noticed that his body felt lighter somehow; he had finished what he came to do. And yet, he had a strong urge to break down, right in the middle of this parking lot, and cry. It was officially over, this life that he'd had with Anna. He knew he didn't deserve any of it, but it was actually over. And now nobody in Arendelle was here for him, so he was going to leave.

He sighed heavily and picked up his motorcycle helmet, but before he jammed it onto his head he heard a car approaching off in the distance. He looked up to find a familiar black sedan enter into the employee parking lot and eventually pull up right next to him. The car stood still with its engine rumbling, and nobody exited, but Kristoff knew. As he stared into the darkly tinted window, he oddly felt unafraid. He rubbed index finger; he knew this was going to happen, but now, he found that he didn't care very much anymore. This was his fate, his punishment, and he deserved it. Besides, this was just a temporary pain that would eventually heal, and he'd get used to living without it. Nothing would compare to this intense heartbreak, and he knew hoping the wound would heal was futile, for this was a wound that would never fade. He almost wished he never loved her so much.

Kristoff took a deep breath, and set down his helmet on his handlebar. Pausing only for a slight moment, he exhaled, and opened the car door to let himself inside.

* * *

It seemed like eternity, how long they stood and stared at each other, each in utter disbelief, too afraid that if they moved, the angel in front of each of them might vanish into the air as if it were all a dream.

The hammering of her heart rang in Anna's ears. She mustered the strength somehow to take a step forward, her eyes glued on Elsa's small, trembling figure. Anna opened her mouth to call out her name, but nothing would come out. She tried again, but nothing.

She saw Elsa take a step forward now, clutching the heart locket to her chest, as if she were trying to hold it close but also as if she were trying to protect her heart at the same time. Anna saw her eyes glistening.

"I-is...is it...you?"

Anna felt her knees buckle, to hear Elsa's voice like that, weak but hopeful. She took another step forward to steady herself, and clutched the necklace tighter in her fist.

_Answer her! Speak!_

But she couldn't. She was paralyzed, her throat exasperatingly stopped up with an unknown force. She flexed her stomach muscles and throat to squeeze out what she could.

"_Yes..." _she barely whispered. It was strained, trembling, and it was all she could muster. Elsa took another step forward.

Then, they ran, but abruptly stopped when they were right in front of each other, too afraid to get any closer. Anna was looking right into Elsa's glistening eyes, cheeks wet with tears, and she felt Elsa's eyes bore into her own, frantically searching, and a small, longing whimper escaped from Anna's throat. She felt her chin quiver as she felt Elsa's hand softly touch her cheek, hesitantly and lightly, as if she were a ghost.

"Is...it...r-really you?" Elsa exhaled the breath she'd been holding, but shakily took in another to hold it again. Anna leaned her wet face into Elsa's palm, her closing to feel every bit of her hand on her cheek.

"_It's me_." Anna brought up her own hand and held it tightly against Elsa's hand that was against her face, pressing it deeper into her cheek, needing and yearning to feel more of her.

"A-anna?"

Anna took Elsa's hand and brought it to her lips, and delicately kissed it. "It's me. It's me," she repeated softly. They gazed into each other's eyes, and she saw Elsa finally letting herself accept; she saw the moment it clicked, and Anna threw herself around the taller girl, embracing her with every bit of herself that she could. "It's me...it's me..." she repeated over and over, burrowing her face into her neck as she let herself cry. She felt Elsa's trembling arms wrap around her waist, at first hesitantly, but with each passing second, the grip grew stronger and stronger. They both hugged each other tightly and preciously, as if any second the other person might disappear or vanish into thin air. They anchored themselves to each other, leaving no room for anything else in-between. No doubt, no fear, no hesitation. They cried for each other, because of each other, of the tragedy that had become them, of the tragedy that they had conquered, together. Nothing in the world mattered, nothing in the past, nor the future mattered as much as this moment, right here, in the present. They hugged with everything they had, embracing every inch that they could, for they had been lost, but now were found.

Finally pulling away, Anna gazed into Elsa's loving eyes. This time, there was nothing to hold Anna back. _Nothing_ would hold her back. She lunged in for the most fulfilling, passionate, desiring kiss that she'd ever given. Anna regretted every moment in the past when she hesitated, when she held back; she was making up for all those moments now. There was no question, Anna thought, as their lips fervidly careened and ground into each other, that Elsa was the love of her life. This was not a kiss of lust. This was a kiss of pure, unadulterated, unconditional love.

Eyes still closed, their lips softly separated from each other, and they leaned their foreheads together.

"It's really you."

"It's me."

They caught their breaths for a moment, still taking in each other in.

"What took you so long," Anna heard Elsa whisper.

Her eyes still closed, Anna replied, "I was on my way to you, to the Royal Chateau. But something told me to turn back." She opened her eyes, and Elsa did the same.

"Really?"

Anna gave a small chuckle. "No, I saw your limo heading back to the house so I ran back."

They both chuckled, but not too loudly, as if the moment were some kind of dream that could be easily broken by loud voices.

Then, Elsa brought up the heart locket she had been so unyieldingly gripping, and opened it. Understanding, Anna brought up her own necklace, and placed the heart within the outline inside the locket, so that once she pushed it in, it made the most perfect and satisfying 'click' sound. Elsa slowly clasped the locket over it, and looked up at Anna with a quivering smile. Then, just as perfectly as the 'click' felt of the heart and locket, they embraced into each other and kissed once more. And in that moment, they both knew that this love was unquestionably absolute; it was only each other that they could be devoted to, and no one else. It was such strong a love, that whatever may happen to them in the future, nothing would ever be able to keep them apart again.


	35. In Summer

They'd slept through the night with all the windows open and curtains pulled back, for it was summer now, and the nights were the perfect kind of warm. The thin, white sheet lightly covering the two girls rustled as a summer breeze softly sailed into the room, gently waking the older one. She stirred, but didn't open her eyes. A small smile formed as she felt a pair of legs intertwined with hers. Again, for the seventh time that week, she'd woken up to find that it wasn't all just all a dream. It was real.

Elsa opened her eyes to find Anna, still deeply asleep with a small puddle of drool next to her mouth, and Elsa's smile widened. Another warm, afternoon breeze blew into and under the thin sheet, sending it afloat for few seconds, prompting Elsa to quickly clamp down on it with her hands to keep the covers over her unclothed body. As the breeze dissipated, she brought her head back down to the pillow to gaze at and take in Anna's peaceful, adorable face. Even Elsa had to admit, Anna somehow always woke up with awful bed hair, but bed hair and all, she was hers, and she didn't want it any other way. Being alone with Anna was the best thing ever, whether she was sleeping or awake. It had also been the first time Elsa was fine not having an N.N. around. She hadn't needed one since Anna was here now.

The breeze had blown a strand of Anna's hair askew, landing it dangerously close to her slightly gaped open mouth. Elsa reached over, and as lightly as possible, brushed it aside, but her finger grazed Anna's cheek, and Anna suddenly snorted and jolted up from her slumber, startled by the tickling sensation. Elsa couldn't help but giggle.

"Good afternoon my princess," Elsa purred. Anna smacked her lips and wiped away the drool on the side of her jaw. She blinked a couple of times, still not yet fully awake, and looked down at Elsa to smile warmly as she groggily rubbed her eye. But upon realizing that she was sitting up with her top half exposed and naked, she quickly plopped back down on the bed and covered herself with the thin sheet.

"Good afternoon, Miss Elsa," Anna said, giving a slight smirk.

Elsa couldn't get enough. She leaned in and kissed her on the lips, and pulled back slightly. Anna leaned in, wanting a little more, and they kissed again. Elsa sighed contently and laid her head back on the pillow, pulling Anna close, who obliged and scooted her body closer.

"Ready for your fitting today?" Elsa asked, tapping her lightly on the nose with her finger. She saw Anna's eyes widen.

"Oh shoot, the fitting! What time is it?" Anna whipped her body around, making sure to hold the thin sheet against her chest, and reached for the cell phone on the nightstand.

"Don't worry, they'll be coming to us. All you need to do is throw on some underwear, and you're good."

Anna looked back at Elsa, not yet having picked up her phone. "Are you sure?"

Elsa admired her bare, lightly freckled back, grinning at its adorableness. "I'm sure. Now come back here and cuddle with me."

* * *

The tailors eventually came, and Anna was now being measured and fitted in her new blue, governmental uniform. Elsa was watching her from the couch as the tailor pinched, pinned and sewed it so that it perfectly fit and accentuated her body. Anna felt a bit uncomfortable being handled in such a manner, and it tickled. She made a face at Elsa, who giggled in return. Sven, having returned from his afternoon walk, was resting on her lap and enjoying Elsa stroking his head.

Anna looked down at the thick uniform. It was the same uniform that Elsa wore to her diplomatic meetings, but Anna's was all blue; it was for the mayor's fiancé to wear to the meetings. It felt foreign on her, but she strangely _loved_ wearing it already. She couldn't help but feel more powerful somehow as she looked down and brought up a hand to touch one of the gleaming, gold buttons.

"We are almost done here, Miss Elsa. Do you have the medal?" the tailor called out to Elsa.

"Yup, right there." Sven jumped off as Elsa got up to walk towards Anna, who was still holding out her arms to the side for the tailor. Anna jumped when she felt the tailor start to pat her down, a little too hard against the behind. "You can put your arms down now, we're finished, thank you for your patience Miss Anna."

"Er, thanks." Anna replied, focused now on Elsa standing in front of her.

"One final touch," Elsa said with a proud smile. She brought up the single medal that Anna had earned from the General not too long ago, and fastened it snugly to her left breast pocket. Anna puffed out her chest and saluted Elsa. "At your service Miss Elsa!" she giggled, and Elsa chuckled back. It felt nice. It felt really nice, to be wearing something like this. And the best part was, Anna liked how it matched Elsa's uniform, like a salt and pepper shaker. They were two, but they were one.

Elsa brushed off her shoulders now having fastened the medal. "There, perfect," she said as she beamed at the display.

"How do I look" Anna asked, a bit nervous. As she turned around slowly, she wondered if she was up for the role, or if she even deserved something like this. She faced Elsa now, eager to hear her opinion.

"I just...I have never seen something fit someone so perfectly. I...I don't know how to explain it. It just looks so right. It feels right to see you like this," Elsa purred. Anna lit up in surprise when Elsa started to lean in, her cheeks rosy with color. "That, and I'm kind of turned on right now, seeing you in this uniform."

_Not in the uniform!_

Anna braced herself as Elsa dove in for a smoldering kiss. She tried to speak, but Elsa's soft lips were making her melt at every graze and touch.

"Wai-! Not-ermph-in...uni...form!"

"Ahem."

They'd completely forgotten that the tailor was still there, packing up her things. Slightly embarrassed, Elsa let Anna go and grudgingly walked back to the sofa, patting her thighs for Sven to come to her.

After the tailor helped her out of the uniform and left, Anna jumped onto the sofa and landed on top of Elsa, who grunted.

"Hey, I've been meaning to talk to you about something," Anna said. Elsa tilted her head. "Okay, what about?"

Anna cleared her throat. "Well, I'm kind of nervous about how you might react to this, but..." Anna paused, and Elsa propped her body up on her elbows, sensing it was something important. "Well, okay don't freak out, but...I want to go visit the prison, to see Hans."

* * *

"Don't worry son, you can just learn to play it without it, ya know? I mean, I saw a video of this guy in the internet, and he was playin' the guitar with his toes for godsakes..." His father muttered on about something as Kristoff looked out the window from the passenger seat, not paying much attention. He was grateful that his father decided to run away with him; his motorcycle sure wouldn't have fit everything.

He looked down at his bandaged hand. It still hadn't sunken in, most likely because the bandage was covering most of his hand and it didn't look like anything was missing yet. It would hit him later, he was sure of it. But, for now, he strangely felt alright. It felt fair, what had happened to him. He would've given his life for Anna. She had given him five years of kindness and love when he never deserved any of it. And he was relieved somehow, because it was now all over. He never would see Anna again, and he was glad because he could never, _ever _face her. At least he set things straight, and his work and life in Arendelle was finished.

"So, I know you and your brother weren't the best of bro's, but I think we should at least give him a visit in prison, ya know, after we settle down somewhere," his father said, keeping his eyes on the road while driving.

Kristoff sighed and looked back out the window. "Yea, we'll give him a visit. The bastard is a lunatic, but a lot of it's cuz of mom too, you know?" Kristoff pitied Hans. Poor, naive Hans.

His father nodded his head. "Can you believe your mother called me up recently?" His father chuckled at the ridiculousness.

"What?"

His father glanced at him. "Yea, she said she needed help. Can you _believe _that_? _Askin' me for help, after what she did to us? She said she needed ta' leave Arendelle, and that she didn't have her men anymore. Sucks for her, she had it comin'."

Looking out at the road in front of them, Kristoff stayed silent. He figured Elsa banished her or something and took care of her henchmen too. It was for the best.

His father sighed. "Sometimes, bad people like your mother never get what they deserve. They go around, ruining people's lives, one after 'nother. And they never get caught 'er punished, and that's just life."

_At least she's out and away from Arendelle, for good._

Suddenly, Kristoff was painfully aware of the song that had been playing on the radio. "Can we turn to a different station, please," he said gloomily.

"Aw son c'mon, this one's a classic. Everybody loves Elvis," and with that, Frederick turned up the volume.

"_~Take my **hand**, take my whole life too.  
But I can't help, falling in love with you.~"_


	36. Prison Cell

The guard violently sat him down, and the handcuffs clanged sharply against the metal chair in-between Hans's legs. He settled himself, but dared not look up at the visitor. Staring down at his legs, the disgusting, ugly orange of his jumpsuit seemed to burn into his eyes.

He heard her clear her throat and shift uncomfortably in her seat across the metal table. Clenching his jaw, he suppressed any feelings of anger, resentment, or guilt. He knew why she was here: to laugh at and mock him.

Finally prying his eyes off of his legs, he looked up at her and jeered, "Why are you here? To laugh at me? Well, here's your chance. Hurry and get it over with." He looked back down in shame. "And you probably already know that mother won't come to even visit me. She hasn't even tried to bail me out." He felt a tight, painful ball start to form in his throat, and he quickly looked down. It hurt. She'd left him here, and never even visited once yet, and Hans knew, deep down, that she was never going to.

"She's so, mean..." Hans choked out, surprised at himself, his lips quivering. He exhaled sharply. "You happy, seeing me like this?" Hans sneered again, peering up at Anna, who had a stern face, but there was something else there that he couldn't put his finger on.

"Yes," she replied coldly. "You deserve this." And Hans remained quiet, cringing through every word, waiting for this forced torment to be over. "You've caused me a lot of pain, both physical and mental. But..." she paused.

_But?_

"...it's not all your fault, Hans."

Surprised, Hans stared at her, but he quickly gathered himself and gave her a firm look, which faltered quickly because he didn't know what to say. Wringing her hands in her lap, Anna looked down to think about her next words. "When I lived with Kristoff, in the trailer home, he used to tell me about his brother and his mother. He...he used different names of course, but he'd tell me just how unfair the mother was," she looked up at him, "How unfair your mother was."

He stared at her in disbelief. What was this? What was she trying to do?

"You're probably right. From what I've gathered, your mother is probably not going to come back for you." She looked intently into his eyes, to make sure he was paying attention. "And I want you to know, that that's not your fault. It's not a reflection of you, but of her."

He quickly shot his head down, not understanding what was happening, his eyes darting back and forth on the ground, trying to understand. He felt his hands start to tremble, the ball in his throat growing more painful and larger, and he shakily tried to swallow it down. He sulked downwards further, gritting his teeth. "What are you even saying? Don't you hate me?!"

Anna spoke again, and this time Hans heard her voice start to grow emotional. "Yea, I hate you. I really, really hate you. But..." she paused, letting herself think for a moment. "But, I also forgive you."

He clenched his jaw tighter, the outlines of the objects below him blurring as his eyes began to water. He gripped his hands together, squeezing as tightly as he could, unable to bear the emotions that were overcoming him.

"Hans, when you were with Elsa, when you were wearing that blue uniform, and when you kissed her on the cheek, I-I was jealous. I was really, really jealous. And maybe, you were jealous of me too, in the beginning, when we first met. Y-you know..." Anna sniffed, apparent from her unsteady voice that she too, was tearing up. "If I had a wicked mother like you manipulating me like that, I might've gone and run you over too, if it were Elsa." She gave a small cough and chuckle, but Hans still couldn't look up. "So...don't be so hard on yourself because of what you did in the past. Maybe just learn from it."

He finally looked up, tears streaming down his face. "Why?! Why are _you_ crying for me, _forgiving_ me? What I did to you was fucking sick, and you're forgiving me? Why?! Are you nuts?" He needed to know, he didn't understand, and it was driving him mad. It didn't make any sense to him, why she was forgiving him.

She wiped away some tears from her face. "Because Hans..." she made eye contact and held it, "We're only on this earth for a small amount of time. All that we are and know, will come to an end someday. A-and, and thinking about everything that way...it makes a part of me care for you Hans." She sniffed, breathing in deeply. "Because it means our time together, even if I hate you right now, is fleeting. You'll be gone someday, and so will I, and so will Elsa, and Kristoff, and everyone we know. And I feel I should give you at least some kind of love, something that you seemed to have never received from Sylvia, no matter how hard you tried. Because, w-who knows...I don't know...I don't know how it might change you. It might not, and it probably won't, I'm probably just being optimistic. But, that's what I'm going to give you and leave you with. Forgiveness."

Sobs were helplessly heaving forth from Hans's throat. He was unable to do anything about his body right now, leaning forward, cheeks streaked with tears and wetness. He couldn't speak, he couldn't think, he was overwhelmed with emotions he had never, ever felt in his life. It was extremely unfamiliar, and almost painful to feel, but it was something his body had needed and craved, it was something he had worked to get for his whole life but never received, until now, just purely and unconditionally.

Anna took a shaky deep breath in to collect herself. "I don't know if Kristoff is going to visit you here. But if he does..." A pause, a sniff, the sound of her shifting in her chair. "T-tell him, that...I forgive him too." A sharp sigh escaped from her throat. "Tell him, that...I miss him. He's my brother too."

"Time's up," the guard grumbled, and he raised a limp and weak Hans from the chair. "Wait," he squeezed out, and he turned back and looked at Anna with a newfound focus. "I'll tell him. I promise."And with that, he was forcefully pulled away, back to his small cell, where he wept.


	37. Closing Comments and Lost & Found

**Closing Comments and "Lost & Found":**

Hey guys,

I've decided to put the closing comments before the Epilogue, because I'd like the ending to resonate with you all without the interruption of a "HI EVERYBODY" at the end. So here it goes...

Writing this first fic was such an emotional experience, and I cannot believe it's already over. I can't find the words to express just how thankful I am for each and every one of you. Thank you for your follow, thank you for your reviews (I appreciate them, each and every one of them), and words of constructive criticisms, encouragement and support. I've learned a whole lot from this experience, and I am humbled. I hope to take what I've learned and apply it to future endeavors, with you all by my side.

Speaking of, I've started a new Elsanna fic titled "Lost & Found," which you can find on my fanfic profile page. Here's the summary:

_Living a life as a successful con artist, Elsa opens her door one day to discover a mysterious girl named Anna who turns out to be her long, lost sister she never knew she had. Suddenly burdened with the responsibilities of an older sibling, Elsa is faced with a moral and ethical dilemma consisted of many dimensions. (Elsanna, Modern AU)._

I'm really, really excited about this one, and I promise you guys won't be disappointed! It's going to be a bit darker, the love not as innocent, the characteristics of Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff will be different, and it will very much be rated M. I think...no...I'm sure it'll be better than AISWY, writing and overall story. I have to admit I kind of rushed through writing AISWY, because I was eager to try writing and the story was screaming to get out of me. Some of these chapters are literally first drafts (sorry I got too eager, but I'm planning to go back after I finish "Lost & Found and re-edit everything!). Now that I've started writing this second fic, I'm really working hard to make it better quality, and as a result I'm finding that it's taking me a lot longer to write chapters for "Lost & Found," so updates for it won't be as frequent as AISWY. But I promise the wait will be worth it! (Aiming for once a week or so).

Lastly, I'd like to share one of the biggest inspirations for writing AISWY. It was a song called "U" by Gareth Emery ft. Bo Bruce. If you'd like to listen you can go to my profile page and it'll be there. I literally listened to it everyday I wrote this fic. If you read the lyrics, you'll understand exactly why. But only listen to if after you've read the epilogue please!

Okay that's enough from me. Enjoy the last bit of AISWY, and I'll see you over at "Lost & Found."

-oikos

P.S. For those readers that are just joining now, firstly thanks for sticking with the story til now! And I would love it if you left a review when you finish and let me know what you thought! I still check every single day to read reviews. Thanks!


	38. Epilogue

The Royal Château garden was brimming with lush greens and vibrant hues of almost every color imaginable, teaming with buds and blossoms that reached outwards to marinate in every bit of the summer sun. Birds twittered here, bees buzzed over there, and the white, plumy white clouds sailed slowly and leisurely overhead, as if they were taking their sweet time floating in the blue, summer sky. And Elsa lay in a hammock nearby, between two trees that provided a generous amount shade, hands behind her head, eyes closed, rocking gently with a small smile that never seemed to have left her face ever since having been reunited with her precious, precious Anna.

In the distance, she heard the jingling of Sven's dog collar approaching, and she lifted an eyelid to see the little dog whizzing towards her, with Anna following not too far behind. Elsa grunted as the pup leaped onto her stomach, trembling with excited energy, lapping away at her face and showering her with kisses.

"Ergh, yuck! Pppllleyech!" Elsa chuckled as Sven hopped down from the hammock and darted around the garden, anticipating what adventures might be in store for him today.

"Hey you," Anna said as she approached the hammock, smiling down at Elsa. "You look nice and relaxed."

Elsa patted her chest. "Join me, it's such nice day out." Anna obeyed, turning around and leaning back into the hammock and falling awkwardly into it at first, struggling to get comfortable in Elsa's embrace, but eventually they locked into each other almost perfectly, Elsa wrapping her arms around Anna who lay comfortably on top of her. Both now looked upwards at the sky and settled into each other, and Anna sighed contently as she placed a few items she'd brought with her onto her stomach.

"How was lunch with Ruben today?" Elsa asked into her ear.

"It was good. I mean, he's still obviously upset about Sylvia, but you know...it's probably for the best, that she left without a word like that. I mean, it would've been really awkward between them. Like, 'Hi Ruben, oh, by the way, I made your daughter's life a living hell with the help of my son.'" They both giggled at Anna's impeccable impersonation.

"And, I brought these back from the house. I never got to finish them." Elsa looked down to see that Anna had been holding blue wool yarn, knitting material, and what looked like a partially completed mitten.

"I was making them for you the day you were returning from your first semester at university. But some stuff got in the way, like... getting hit by a car, you know, typical night."

Elsa grinned. "They're not even finished yet and I already love them. Thanks Anna," and Elsa gave her a peck on the forehead. She felt Anna snuggle into her deeper, and watched as she laid out the wool on her stomach and begin to proficiently knit away.

"Wow, it's been a while, but my fingers still remember everything," she said. Elsa found the soft clicking sounds of the metal knitting needles soothing.

They laid lovingly against each other in a comfortable silence, one knitting away and one hugging and embracing the other, basking in the moment. Suddenly, Anna stopped and turned her head to look at Elsa. "You're not bored or anything, are you? Wanna help me knit? I can teach you if you want."

Elsa looked intently into Anna's eyes, and brought up a hand to stroke her bangs out of the way. "No I'm okay. Someone once told me it's important for someone like me to stay in the present moment, so I'm trying to do that more often now. She helped me understand that it's important to try to not think of anything in the past or the future. Her name was...Kaitlin? Kara? No...Kirsten or something..." She looked up at the sky as if she was searching her memory, and she felt a nudge against her stomach.

"Not funny..._Miss Elsa_," Anna jested, and Elsa chuckled, but her tone turning more serious, she looked back down into Anna's eyes. "I never have a boring moment when I'm with you, cuz...you're kind of like my anchor. You somehow always keep me in the present moment, because nothing else is better than just being here, in the present, with you. And...nothing else grounds me the way you do. I always feel secure just thinking about you, and when you're in my arms like this," she gave Anna a gentle squeeze in her arms, "that's when I'm the most happiest. So no...I'm not bored."

She saw Anna try to hide a smile as she bit her lip, and Elsa thought that maybe Anna's cheeks were turning pink but Anna turned her face and quickly tended to her knitting again, the clicking sounds a little quicker now. "Oh, I see."

For a while, they sat in silence, enjoying the summer breeze swaying them gently to and fro. Elsa sighed contently, and nuzzled her head into Anna's hair, closing her eyes. She could nap like this if she wanted to. The weather was warm, the shade was cool and refreshing, and she never knew the garden smelled this nice. She felt the heart locket resting there against her chest as if it were protecting her heart. Staying in the present moment had never been so sweet.

Just as she was about to drift away into a light afternoon nap, she heard Anna clear her throat, and Elsa opened her eyes to find Anna reaching up and tucking some hair behind her ear before she spoke. "D-do you know when I first knew I loved you?" She continued to adeptly twist the yarn in and out of the mitten.

"When?"

"Well, you'd never guess." She paused for a moment as she continued knitting. "It was completely unexpected. It was actually the moment right before Hans hit me with the car, in that tunnel."

Elsa cringed just thinking about it. She still couldn't believe that sick bastard did that. "What do you mean?" she asked, letting go of her temporary surge of irritation, for it was replaced by a tingling curiosity.

"Well, they say that some people, right before they black out or have a near death experience, like getting hit by a car for example, see a bright light, or see their life flashing before their eyes. Some say they do a quick prayer to god, or something like that, you know?"

Elsa nodded, and Anna stopped knitting and turned her face, and their eyes locked. "Well, I didn't see or do any of those things. I just remember that, right before I got hit..."

She paused, bringing her hand to Elsa's cheek to caress it gently as she gazed affectionately into her eyes.

"I just closed my eyes and, all I saw was you."


End file.
